Sharks in Sunny Places
by Merely Murderous
Summary: Hinata Hyuuga has just left Nuvema Town on her Pokemon journey, filled with a desperate need to prove herself. Unknowingly to her, Kisame Hoshigaki has been hired to shadow her. But trouble is brewing in Unova, and Hinata just might get involved. KisaHina
1. Up We Go, Hinatachan!

**Sharks in Sunny Places**

**Summary:** Traveling from Nuvema Town, Hinata Hyuuga must prove to her father, sister, friends, and (most importantly) herself that she can become a successful Pokemon Trainer and survive the harsh world. However, Unova is always changing, and with the escape of several top-secret experiments now on the loose, Hinata may be fighting against more than she bargained for.

**Changes:** The story is set in the Unova region. The seasons are all one-month off. Holidays are still in the same month, but the months' seasons have been changed.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon or Naruto. Boo.

**Chapter One:** Up We Go

Nuvema Town was a quiet town. It was well-known for being the birth-place of many popular yet not-quite-amazing Pokemon Trainers. The quiet, laid-back, and friendly atmosphere of the town encouraged many young folk to always be coming and going, and for people to settle down to make friends and family. The peaceful Pokemon in the surrounding forests and the gentle breeze from the nearby ocean made it a unique, safe, and almost sleepy town. Residents, both old and new, said it always gave the feel of something amazing quietly stirring in Unova.

It was this town that the Hyuuga clan had moved into, many years ago, before the Hyuuga clan's most promising Trainers had been born. And it was from this town that Hinata Hyuuga, who had just turned fifteen, was about to depart from with her two best friends.

Hinata was shyly concerned and upset that she had held her friends back from their own journeys for so long. She had the latest birthday in the year, and her friends Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka had much earlier birthdays. As a general rule, Trainers left for their journeys at age fifteen, as a three-man cell that would split up or travel together, and not one person could leave without the other two. Hinata had pleaded with them for the last year to chose a different person to travel with, but Kiba had always noisily declined, with Shino quietly backing him up. For that, Hinata both loved and hated her two best friends.

The Hyuuga clan has always been a quiet, but relatively cold clan of Pokemon Trainers. People who held others back from their potential were generally frowned upon, and Hinata was unfortunately the heir to the clan. As a result, she was pressured to do much better than everyone else, but due to her late birth, she held her two friends back from starting their journeys early. For the last year, Hinata had been frequently ridiculed by numerous members of her family, from big to small reasons. It was obnoxious, rude, and sometimes just downright hurtful. And as a result, Hinata had both pleaded for this day to come sooner, and for her friends to chose a different team-mate.

Now that this day was finally here, however, Hinata was a bundle of mixed emotions. She was joyous, anxious, worried, fearful, and so many other emotions that she could barely keep her body from shaking as she walked down the steps to the dining room.

At the table awaited her a large breakfast, lovingly prepared by her mother, her two closest friends, all of her immediate family, and a large box. Kiba grinned widely, and beckoned Hinata to come closer, Shino standing nearby, the two radiating an encouraging, happy, and exciting energy around her normally calm and collected family. Akamaru yipped excitedly, and Yuna was noisily munching on leaves.

Hinata timidly stepped towards them, and her mother quickly rushed over and smothered her with a hug, kissing the top of her head with tears pouring from her eyes. "Ohhh, my baby, I can't believe this day has already come for my baby." Her mother cooed, as Hinata smiled and returned the embrace. Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuuga stood by, both smiling happily at the two. Neji smirked nearby, his arms crossed, too happy and proud to scowl like he wanted to. Hanabi, however, had no problem glaring at her sister, and impatiently tapped her foot.

Hanako reluctantly released her daughter, sniffling and wiping away the tears, and motioned for everyone to sit down at the table. Hinata sat down at the head of the table, as she was the star for today, with Kiba and Shino sitting on either side of her. As they begun eating, Kiba and Shino eagerly engaged in conversation with Neji and Hinata, talking about how Neji's journey had been so far and how their own journey would go.

"Man! I can't wait until Akamaru evolves into a Stoutland! He's gonna be such a beast!" Kiba exclaimed after he had heard about Neji's battles with the large dog.

"Yes, Stoutlands are very good for Trainers. Loyal, strong, and reliable." Neji advised as he cut up his ham, and Kiba nodded eagerly nearby. "Leavanny are also good Pokemon. Burgh uses them extremely well, and in his gallery he's even featured paintings of them." Neji said, motioning to Shino before he bit into the meat. Shino nodded as well, familiar with the Bug-type using artist.

"What about Purrloin's evolution, Neji-ni?" Hanabi asked, glancing over at her sister with a glare. Hinata smiled back timidly, secretly annoyed that her sister would remind her of that already...

"Mm. Liepards aren't that good. They could be powerful if trained properly. However, they're speed-based, and a well-aimed attack can take them down pretty easily." Neji replied, and Hanabi frowned, taking a bite of her pancake as she digested that bit of information. Hinata gave a nod of thanks to Neji, who smiled back somewhat reassuringly.

Hinata, while she was use to talk about her friend's Pokemon, was slightly miffed. She was the only one in her cell who hadn't already caught a Pokemon, and that was re-enforced by the fact that her sister had already caught a Pokemon. And her sister just loved to rub that in her face. Hinata was just glad that she'd be getting a Pokemon of her own today...Even if she would still be behind Shino and Kiba. Hinata inwardly sighed, but kept a smile on her face as she enjoyed her mother's pancakes and ham.

"So which Pokemon have the three of you decided on for your starters?" Asked Hiashi.

"I want Oshawott!" Kiba exclaimed, his never-ending grin widening.

"Snivy." Shino quietly informed in a detached voice, and Hinata knew that her friend was trying to subtly stare at the map on the wall. With his glasses, most people wouldn't be able to tell, but she could. He was always the logical, planning one.

"So Hinata decided on Tepig?" Hizashi asked, and smiled approvingly at her as she nodded in affirmative. "Good, that will give you a nice Pokemon to work with."

The rest of the breakfast passed with idle chatter about Pokemon, terrain, Gym Leaders, and old stories of Kanto and Johto. When everyone was finally done with their food, Hanako and Hanabi cleared the table, and Neji placed the large box on the table. It was time to meet Cell Eight's starters.

Hinata carefully unwrapped the box, smiling softly at Kiba's barely contained excitement. The room was quiet, except for the squeaking of the hardwood floors as Kiba excitedly bounced up and down. Hinata lifted the lid, placing it to the side, and motioned Kiba and Shino to the box. Kiba quickly snatched Oshawott's ball from the box, while Shino grabbed Snivy's in a much more restrained and calmer manner (even though Hinata knew he was just as excited as Kiba was). Hinata took the remaining Pokeball, feeling butterflies in her stomach as she touched the cool metal of the ball, wondering how such a small thing could hold such a creature in it.

And then Rock Lee broke down the back door. "Neji-san! Come train with me!"

Neji glared at Lee, then pointed at Hinata, and then the broken door. Lee stood there frozen in thought for a few seconds, before grabbing the door and placing it back where it belonged, and fleeing out onto the back porch.

"Neji, I don't know how you travel with that boy." Hiashi muttered, and Hizashi nodded in agreement.

"Sensory adaptation." Neji deadpanned. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go entertain him before he goes and breaks down TenTen-san's door."

* * *

><p>Hinata, Kiba, and Shino all stepped into Professor Juniper's lab. The large lab was on the edge of town, and was the only Pokemon lab in Unova registered to give out Pokemon and Pokedexes by the United Region Pokemon Association. Since they had received their starter Pokemon today, they were now going in to meet Juniper so she could give them their Pokedex and their leaving speech.<p>

Juniper was there near the entrance, a smile on her face as she beckoned them over. Professor Juniper was a woman who loved her work, and it showed in every aspect. Teaching young Trainers was refreshing and invigorating to her work as a scientist, and she taught upcoming young Trainers the skills they'd need for survival in Unova.

Cell Eight stood confidently in front of Professor Juniper, feeling the confidence that only they could as blossoming young Trainers. In return, Juniper would reassure them about their journey and provide support through the Pokedex. And now, it would all start.

"Hello! I'm Juniper-sensei, and you'll be receiving one last lesson from me before starting your journey. I trust you have everything you need so far?" Professor Juniper asked in her lecture voice, and the three nodded. The three had all packed their bags last night, and their Pokemon's balls were securely attached to each of their belts.

"Alright then! Sign these forms, and I can give you your Pokedex and then we'll be off to Accumula Town!"

* * *

><p>Cell Eight stood mere steps away from Route 1. They were about to embark on the Nuvema Town Trainer Tradition. Kiba and Shino both took one of Hinata's hands, and boldly strode towards Route 1.<p>

A few steps away, Professor Juniper stood next to a patch of grass, still smiling. Seeing this happen was one of her favorite things in the world, and she only wished Tsunade-sensei was here to watch.

"Now, who's ready to learn how to catch a Pokemon?"

They all watched Professor Juniper catch a Pokemon, learning from her the techniques used. Hinata felt sad as she watched, knowing that Shino and Kiba were only watching Juniper-sensei because they knew she needed to know the techniques. After all, they had both already caught their own Pokemon. Hinata inwardly sighed. Even now, she was slowing them down...

Kiba and Shino, on the other hand, both knew what was going on in Hinata's head. They just didn't know how to prevent it, or fix it. To be honest, neither of them had caught their own Pokemon. They'd both been bred as presents for the boys. And every time they told Hinata this, she had refused to listen, thinking that they were just trying to make her feel better for what her father, sister, and cousin had all deemed to be a failure on her part.

At least from now on, she'd be away from them. Though...Neji wasn't quite so bad anymore.

* * *

><p>Kisame Hoshigaki hid near the sewers. He was only waiting in this town for a meeting. Otherwise, he'd be comfortably out in the wilderness. He couldn't stand towns, ever since they had been released. People and Pokemon always looked at him funny,and he couldn't blame them. After all, not everyone looked as freakish as him.<p>

Unfortunately he was here on business, and if he didn't get this right he'd have to deal with the cold silence of one very angry Uchiha. So he would just wait here, hoping this stupid Hyuuga would hurry up so that he could hole up in his room in the Pokemon Center until he was called for another mission or told he could do what he pleased. He stood near the sewers, looking intimidating and thinking angry thoughts, until he appeared.

"Hoshigaki-sama?" Ask the middle-aged man. Kisame turned his eyes on the aging Trainer, and grinned ferally.

"That's me. Hyuuga-sama?"

"Correct." The Hyuuga nodded in affirmation. The two took a few moments to size each other up. The Hyuuga was Hiashi Hyuuga, a clan leader. He had long, waist-length black hair, and pale white eyes that reminded Kisame of pearls. Wrinkles lined his face, and he looked tired and angry, but his posture carried authority and arrogance. His mouth was set in a firm line, and Kisame could see the row of Pokeballs he carried on his obi. Hiashi Hyuuga was not one to be trifled with, even if he was just an aging old man.

Hiashi looked over Kisame's form, and briefly wondered why he thought to agree to the Uchiha's terms. Obviously, this "man" was not quite human anymore, and he looked intimidating and radiated blood-lust. He was barely human, looking more like a humanoid Pokemon than a homo sapien. He was huge, being over six feet tall and was heavily-built with large, blue muscles. He had beady white and black eyes with gills underneath them, with rough cheek-bones and saw-like teeth enhancing the intimidation of his grin. But so long as he could protect her...

"So. Why exactly do I need to shadow your daughter?" Kisame asked, breaking Hiashi's thoughts. Kisame shifted uncomfortably under the Hyuuga's gaze, even though Hiashi didn't seem to fear him or even take his eyes off his face. It was odd, unsettling, and disturbing to him, who had always felt fear and ridicule from those who saw and approached him since he had been released.

"She isn't ready for the world alone yet, even though she thinks she is." Hiashi said simply, and Kisame stared down at Hiashi. Kisame couldn't decide if he was an over-protective parent or not by that statement, and mentally noted to judge for himself when he met the girl. He silently prayed to Arceus that she could at least take care of herself.

"Ah. And why exactly am I needed?"

"Ask Uchiha. I thought he would be the one shadowing my daughter. But if he trusts you with the job, then so be it." Kisame nodded at the answer as Hiashi paused. Hiashi looked Kisame directly in the eyes, and Kisame felt even more disturbed by Hiashi's lack of fear. "But...If anything happens to my daughter, it will be on both of your heads." Kisame nodded silently, a small inkling of dread sinking into him.

Hiashi turned his back on Kisame, looking over to the entrance of Accumula Town. "Hinata will be arriving from Route 1. Whether or not you want to meet her or not is up to you, but do not reveal your duty to her." He pulled a picture from his obi, and handed it to Kisame to look at.

The photograph looked like it was just taken that day. Three people were pictured in it, two teenaged males and a teenaged female. The male on the left was grinning fiercely, a Lillipup on his head, fires of excitement burning brightly in both of their eyes. The male on the right was smirking, a Sewaddle on his shoulder and sunglasses hiding his eyes. In the middle was the violet-haired, lavender-eyed girl he was suppose to protect.

Kisame kept his face neutral as he looked at the picture. It was obvious why Hiashi wanted his daughter protected. She was beautiful and adorable, and she looked was too innocent to be left alone in the wilderness to fend for herself. She was wearing a baggy lavender jacket to protect herself from the cold autumn wind and rapidly approaching winter cold, and comfy looking white sweatpants that reminded him of snow, with black and white snow boots tucked under her sweatpants. A lavender strap went over her breasts, with Pokeballs attached to the strap, one marked with a fire emblem. All of it seemed to lead up to her lavender eyes, which were large, full of life, warmth, and kindness.

Kisame was torn between wanting to meet her as soon as possible, and wanting to hide himself from her as long as possible. He handed the photograph back to Hiashi, who looked him in the eyes again.

"I'll protect her. You just keep your end of the deal."

Hiashi nodded, staring him in the eyes for a few seconds more before departing. Kisame watched him go, lost in his own thoughts as Hiashi's form drifted further and further away.

He was going to meet her.

* * *

><p>Hinata stepped into the town, feeling very unsure of herself. She wasn't sure where to go now. Juniper-sensei had told her to go to Accumula Town and to go to the Pokemon Center, but she hadn't said where the Pokemon Center was. Hinata sighed. Getting to Accumula Town was the easy part. Finding her way around would be much more difficult.<p>

"Hinata." Came the stern voice of her father. She jumped, startled, and looked over to her left to see her father walking towards her with a stern expression on his face.

"H-hello, O-otousan. What are you doing here?" Hinata asked, confused and worried. He wasn't going to criticize her, was he...? He wasn't going to make her go home, was he...?

"You forgot a few things. Are you sure you're ready to start your journey?" Hiashi asked, sounding cold and stern. He knew she actually hadn't forgotten anything, and that he'd removed things from her bag the night before, but if his little girl wasn't ready to start her journey yet, he would accept that. And he would force everyone else to accept it, too.

"O-oh! What d-did I forget?" Hinata asked, a horrified expression on her face, as she quickly went over everything she had packed last night. Hiashi pulled out her Xtransceiver and Town Map from his obi, and handed them to her. She quickly took them from him, and pulled her bag around so she could place the map in her bag. "T-thank you s-so much, O-otousan!"

"Hinata, are you sure you are capable of this journey?" Hiashi asked again.

"O-of course! I-i have been l-looking forward t-to starting my j-journey all year!" Hiashi looked her straight into her eyes, and Hinata nervously stared back, awaiting his decision. Finally, he nodded in confirmation of her will.

"Very well then. Be careful. Do not be afraid to come home, and keep in contact at least once a week." Hiashi ordered, his face still stern and his voice even. He couldn't let himself cry in front of his daughter, he told himself.

Hinata nodded, inwardly grateful and relieved. And then, shocked, as her father wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Good luck. Be safe. The Pokemon Center is north of here. Do the Hyuuga clan proud, Hinata Hyuuga."

Hiashi pulled away from his daughter, giving her a once-over, before departing towards Nuvema Town. "Thank you, Otousan! I love you!"

Hiashi was glad his back was turned to her, so she couldn't see his smile or his tears.

His little girl was growing up.

* * *

><p>On the way to the Pokemon Center, Hinata strolled around Accumula Town, taking in the sights. She had only ever been to Accumula Town once before, and that had been when she was very young. The town was full of many hills and medium-sized buildings above and below the street. Music was coming from somewhere up above, and it gave the town a soothing feeling.<p>

It was during this stroll that she happened to see him. He stood, leaning against the railing of a particularly steep hill, towering above Kiba who had rushed over to see the buildings. He was huge, and somewhat intimidating, but his face was full of thought as he looked out over the street. He was not bothered by Kiba, who was noisily chattering at him, probably asking him all sorts of things. Yet he was odd, with his blue skin, muscles rippling through his long limbs, and his hair that stood upright. He intrigued her. Who was this man, where did he come from, how did he look the way he did?

Hinata boldly strode over to him and Kiba.

"K-kiba-kun! Th-there you are!" Hinata called out, and Kiba swung his head around from the sights below the banister, his excited grin widening as he saw her.

"Hinata-chan! C'mere, this view is amazing!" Kiba shouted, waving her over enthusiastically. Hinata smiled brightly, and hurried her pace over to the two, placing herself over on Kiba's side. Kiba had been looking at a lush and green gully that made a beautiful park, with houses on one side and cool concrete and a rushing stream on the other. Pokemon and children rushed around, playing as their parents lazed around, chatting with each other.

"W-wow, Kiba-kun! Ohh, is t-that a Min-mincinno that girl has?" Hinata asked, her face lighting up dramatically at the sight of the adorable Pokemon.

"Yup! I bet you can't wait to get to Nimbasa City and catch one, right?" Kiba asked, and Hinata giggled at the thought.

"I d-don't know y-yet, Kiba-kun. Th-there are so m-many other Pokemon to m-meet." Hinata looked out over the park, thinking about which ones would be good. Kiba nodded in agreement, looking out over the park as well, and the two lapsed into comfortable silence.

Kisame had silently been watching the entire charade, easily pretending to not be paying attention. This had given him quite a few tidbits about his client. Most importantly, they had already easily met, even if she hadn't said a single word to him. Thank you, noisy brunette. He had made the entire meeting seamless, natural, and ordinary. Perfect.

"You two are new Trainers?" The man next to Kiba asked, his voice a rumbling, gravelly basso. Hinata and Kiba turned to him, Kiba confirming his question and asking questions back, while Hinata studied the man up-close. From afar, he was merely intimidating. Up-close, he was close to nightmare fuel. He looked like a shark, from his beady white and black eyes, his gills and grotesque-looking cheekbones, to his teeth, that looked razor-sharp and deadly when he spoke.

Somehow, Kiba wasn't affected at all by him. Hinata barely resisted the urge to flee, and had to clamp down her panicked emotions. If that didn't say something about how much courage Kiba held, she didn't know what would.

"Hinata-chan and I can't wait to get to Striation City!" Kiba exclaimed, and Kisame grinned toothily.

"Ah. The first Gym-bearing city. Be sure to train up before you even think about challenging them."

Hinata swallowed, and mustered up all of her courage to keep herself as normal as possible. "O-oh. A-are they d-difficult to b-beat?"

"The leader you'll face is based on your starter Pokemon." Kisame informed casually, while glancing over Hinata. She was terrified by him, he could tell, but she was putting up a brave front and wasn't running. His grin remained on his face. Oh, he liked her. And after this meeting, she would hopefully be tough enough to handle more of her journey...

"O-oh. So we o-ought to catch m-more P-pokemon along the w-way, too."

"YOSH! I can't wait to get started!" Kiba exclaimed, and grabbed Hinata's hand. "C'mon, Hinata-chan! Let's go meet Juniper-sensei and Shino-san at the Center!"

"O-oh! Okay!" Hinata said, her mouth forming an 'o' in surprise. Kiba started to yank her towards the Pokemon Center, and Hinata turned to look back at the man. "Th-thank you, sir!"

"Kisame." He said simply, and he watched her face flicker with emotion before she smiled and waved at him. Kisame smirked and watched her be dragged away, before watching the sun set. All of his thoughts surrounded her and Itachi-san.

Today was good.

* * *

><p>Itachi Uchiha looked down at his friend. It had been a long time since he had seen Hinata and Hiashi Hyuuga, and he was glad they had not changed while he was away.<p>

It made his current task easier.

Pein-sama had told him to watch the Hyuuga clan's upcoming Trainers. The Hyuuga, as always, were going to be a necessity in the upcoming events. It would only be a few more hours until the first event was unleashed.

Itachi only wished it could happen much, much later.

He could only pray that Hoshigaki would be strong enough to protect the heiress.

After all, it wasn't every day that such a tragedy would occur.

Itachi quietly descended from the top of the building, carefully going over the plots in his head.

* * *

><p><em>Well, that's the first installment of Sharks in Sunny Places. Yes, this will mainly be centered on Hinata and Kisame. The Akatsuki will be showing up, one-by-one. And no, this won't be following Black and White's storyline. I'm still figuring out what I want to be done, and there WILL be a few events taken from Team Plasma, but for the most part the Akatsuki will be working under the own agenda.<em>

_Also, Hinata's birthday is December 27th, while Shino's is January 23rd , and Kiba's is on July 7th. They have a pretty wide range of birthdays. Kisame's is March 18th. I love the Naruto wikia and the Bulbapedia. Also, it is now Fall (December) and Winter (January) is now approaching. Spring (February) might take a while to get to, or it may not. I haven't quite decided._

_Leave a review, please!_


	2. Stay Put, Hinatachan!

**Sharks in Sunny Places**

_Chapter two, here we go! So far, this seems to be getting a positive reaction. That pleases me. Drop a review if you see anything you'd like to see improved or worked on, please! I'll love your assistance. It makes editing this for the fourth or fifth time a lot easier. :) And yes, I actually did that for this chapter._

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Pokemon or Naruto. Boo.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two:<strong> Stay Put

* * *

><p>Hinata trailed after Kiba, the electronic doors slipping open, and the motion sensor beeping as they walked in. Everyone in the lobby turned to see who was entering, before turning back to work, play, or relaxation. It was a typical Unova Pokemon Center, with lots of light being let into the building from the large windows. A small waiting area was to the left of the entrance, and to the right was the PokeMart. Straight ahead was the nursing station, and two tall staircases would take you up to the Global Link, the Wifi Room, and the Trainer Rooms. Standing in the middle of the Center were Nurse Joy, Professor Juniper, and Shino.<p>

"Ah! There you two are! Welcome to your best friend, the Pokemon Center!" Professor Juniper greeted, her arms spread in the air as she presented the Center. "Every time you reach a new town or city, the first thing you must do is find the Pokemon Center. That is a basic of being a Pokemon Trainer."

"If your Pokemon is hurt or tired, the Pokemon Center will provide a place of free recovery and rest." Nurse Joy continued. "It is also a place for shelter in case there is ever a natural disaster or other occurrences. You can resupply at the PokeMart."

"It is because of these reasons that the Pokemon Centers are so important. It is also why you MUST find the Pokemon Center in town, before you do anything else. Understand?" Professor Juniper looked at the three Trainers, seriousness in her eyes. Cell Eight nodded in unison, and Professor Juniper returned to her bright smile. "Very well then. Here are your graduating presents from me. After you take these, you are now officially Pokemon Trainers."

Professor Juniper each handed them a set of ten Pokeballs, each designed to suit them and their taste in Pokemon. Kiba was given five Fast balls and five Quick balls. Shino was given five Heal balls and five Net balls. Hinata was given five Heal balls and five Love balls.

"Good luck, you three, and enjoy your journeys with Pokemon. Nurse Joy will be here to offer advice, and there are plenty of Pokemon Trainers here to ask for advice and battles from. If you need me, contact me through the Pokedex or my system on the PC." Professor Juniper bowed, and left the Pokemon Center; She turned towards the Trainers and waved goodbye as she stepped outside the doors.

The three Trainers turned to Nurse Joy, who smiled and offered to heal their Pokemon while they settled down to converse with the other Trainers in the facility.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba were all eating dinner with their Pokemon when Kisame walked into the Center. Much to Hinata's chagrin, Kiba invited him over. Kisame smirked and nodded, but walked over to Nurse Joy and handed her his Pokeballs before he went to join the trio.<p>

"Hey Shino, this is Kisame-san. Kisame-san, this is Shino-san, Yune the Sewaddle, Hinata-chan and her Tepig, Akamaru, my Lillipup, and I'm Kiba." Kiba introduced, pointing to each of them as he said their names. Shino nodded simply as he was introduced, and Hinata forced a small smile. Hinata briefly wondered what was wrong with Kiba, inviting him over. Shino wouldn't say anything or make any notice that the man disturbed him, but she had to wonder what Shino would think of the shark-man. Hinata knew he terrified her.

"Nice to meet you all." Kisame said gruffly, before sitting down across from Hinata.

"You're a veteran Trainer?" Shino asked, as he fed Yune parts of his fries. Hinata sat there and quietly ate her food, watching Pepper play with his food. She didn't want to look at Kisame. He was scary. How Shino and Kiba could bare to look at him was beyond her.

"More or less. I traveled around Unova recently, but I'm from the Hoenn region." Kisame replied, glancing over at Hinata and watching her stare at her Tepig. He knew he intimidated her. Of course he did. Again he was grateful for her friends. This way, at least, she could get use to him. Maybe one day he wouldn't be so scary to her, he hoped. Or maybe he'd always terrify her.

"Hoenn? Really? What kinds of Pokemon do they have there?" Kiba asked in between mouthfuls of food. Kisame smirked; At least her friends didn't seem terrified of him. Maybe a little nervous, but not terrified.

"Many types. Lots of Water-types. They have some interesting Pokemon, there." Kisame replied, pulling out a map from his bag and spreading it across the table. It would be easier to explain it like this, he knew, and this was common practice for Trainers from other regions. "About half the cities there have to be reached by Pokemon or boat. Lots of ocean and water." This caught Hinata's attention, and she peered at the map along with her friends. They hadn't learned much about the other regions in Trainer's Ed., so this was highly intriguing to her.

"Oh wow. They have a desert and a volcano? _And_ the space shuttles?" Kiba practically squealed. Kisame had marked down interesting locations, from the shopping tower in Lilycove to the space shuttles in Mossdeep. "Kisame-san, you come from such a cool region." Kiba said, awed. Kisame snorted.

"It's not that interesting. They do have rather unusual Pokemon, though. Tropius, Sharpedo, Kecleon..." Kisame trailed off. Shino stopped looking at the map to turn to Kisame. Pokemon were possibly the most interesting things in a region, next to terrain.

"Isn't there special Bug-type Pokemon that live in Hoenn, as well?" Shino asked, pulling out a notepad and pen. He'd love to get some first-hand knowledge about the Bug-types there.

"Yeah, tell bug-boy what bug Pokemon there are there so he can go fangirl over them. Isn't Hoenn where Absol come from?" Kiba joked, smacking Shino on the back and earning a mild glare from the Aburame. Kisame chuckled at their interaction, while Hinata merely smiled.

"Yes, it is. And there are Wurples, which can yield four different forms, and Nincadas and their evolution. There's also Surskit." Kisame informed, pulling out a Hoenn-style Pokedex and placing it on the table. It opened, showing pictures of all the Pokemon Kisame had seen in Hoenn. And that is how the gushing over the Pokemon of Hoenn began.

* * *

><p>Shino and Kiba were absolutely in love with Kisame. They looked up to him, and Hinata could see why. He was an experienced Trainer, he thought of strategies and Pokemon, knew bits of information from lands none of them knew much about, had dealt with hazardous situations, strategies, and terrain and always managed to come out on top. He was what most novice Trainers aspired to be, and he was going to make a great idol to them. They were utterly enthralled with Kisame.<p>

That's why, when Hinata saw Kisame's Trainer card, and noticed it barely looked like he did now, she was suspicious. She was even more suspicious when he quickly hid it from them, switching over to something else before either of them could get a good look. And he knew she had seen. The glance he gave her, staring into her eyes, told her he knew.

It sent shivers up her spine. And yet, she wanted, no, needed to know why he looked so differently then than he did now. She hugged Pepper closer to her as she watched the shark-man interact with her best friends, worried, confused, and intrigued by this horrifying man. She needed to know, not only for her own sake, but for her friends.

They were obviously looking up to this terrifying man, and they wouldn't question him directly on how he looked. If he could hurt them and intended to, she hoped that she could prevent it. But she didn't know how to ask, either, so she just kept silent and made a mental note to tell her friends to look out. She'd just keep an eye on him, no matter how much she didn't want to. She asked him innocent questions as she tried to wish it all away on paranoia, but she couldn't. There was the nagging feeling that _something wasn't right_ about how he was acting.

Kisame let himself be interrogated by the novice Trainers, Shino and Kiba asking the most questions, with Hinata occasionally piping up with a comment, question, or concern. It was surprisingly fun and entertaining for him, and he didn't mind reliving the memories before the incidents occurred.

He was able to observe Hinata, and see how she interacted with her cell. He approved of her cell-mates, they suited her and would influence her personality to become stronger. Kiba was headstrong, loud, confident, and eager. Shino was much more restrained, calculating, and ambiguous. Hinata was timid, soft-spoken, thoughtful, and very shy. She also seemed to be very determined. He wouldn't mind playing babysitter as much as he thought he would, if he could watch these three grow.

Though, he was worried how Hinata would react after he let her see what he looked like before...

* * *

><p>It was an hour or two before Itachi's plan would be in motion, he remembered. Kisame was eagerly waiting for his plot in the plan. If everything went right, he would be able to easily protect Hinata and direct the creature towards their objective.<p>

All he had left to do now was wait.

* * *

><p>Hinata was in her room, brushing her hair and going over everything that had happened today. She had seen cousin Neji before he returned on his journey with Lee and Tenten. She had gotten her first Pokemon and started her own journey. And she had arrived in Accumula Town, all by herself. She had taken the first step on her journey around Unova, and she couldn't wait until she was able to catch her own Pokemon. If she could just catch one, then maybe Shino-kun and Kiba-kun wouldn't leave her behind...If she could just catch one, she could prove that she DID have skills as a Pokemon Trainer.<p>

She wished that they hadn't all decided to travel alone, within a day to three days apart from the others. She wished she could ask them to reconsider, to take her along, to all travel together...But she lacked the courage, and she couldn't face herself or her family if she held them back. _I'll never hold them back again, I promise._

Hinata set her hairbrush on the vanity, expelling those thoughts from her head, before flopping down on the Center's bed. It had been a long day, and many exciting things had happened. It wouldn't be much longer until the excitement from today happened every day, she mused. Pepper jumped onto the bed and cuddled up to her side, causing Hinata to smile and pet the pig Pokemon as she daydreamed about her future adventures.

Eventually, though, her thoughts turned to Kisame. He was fearsome, she knew. But from what she had seen of his personality, he didn't seem like such a bad guy. Actually, if you took out his appearance, he was actually a very decent man. He was a little gruff, and his voice added to his tough-guy personality, but he was polite and very intelligent.

From his stories,though, she knew him to be a very tough Trainer. One who had crushed many other Trainers before even stepping foot in Unova. She would like to see him battle, she decided. But there was something _wrong_ about the way he was acting, it just didn't seem to fit with his appearance, or his battling style. She just couldn't figure out what.

Hinata was still thinking about Kisame when he knocked on her door. Hinata reluctantly left the comfort of her bed, clad in her pajamas, and opened the door to see the shark-like man standing at her doorway. She looked up towards his face, feeling very small as he towered above her.

"K-kisame-san? I-is there something you n-need?" She asked, inwardly cursing her constant stutter. As if he needed to know she was afraid of him! His solemn expression on his face worried her, and she bit her lower lip as she waited her him to speak. _What is it, what does he need, why me why me why me?_ Hinata thought, a bit of panic bubbling up.

"Hinata-san, there's been an emergency in the town. All novice Pokemon Trainers are to stay in the-" Kisame was cut off by a loud crashing noise, and screams coming from the lobby. Hinata gasped, and looked down the hallway towards the lobby. What was going on down there? Why were people screaming? What was the emergency? "Dammit. Stay here, Hinata-san, and tell Shino-san and Kiba-san to remain inside their rooms."

Hinata shakily agreed as Kisame ran down the hall towards the lobby, pulling out her Xtransceiver to call her cell-mates to warn them to stay inside. She hoped everything would be okay...

She even briefly hoped that Kisame would be okay.

* * *

><p>Pepper nervously squirmed in her arms as Hinata paced up and down the floor of her room. It had been nearly an hour since Kisame had warned her to stay in her room, and she was anxious. What had happened? Why were they screaming? What had gone so wrong that she had to remain here, instead of fighting? Was he okay?<p>

There was knocking at the door, and Hinata warily opened it to seen Shino and Kiba waiting, grim lines on their faces.

Hinata swallowed and shakily asked, "What happened?" The two boys walked into her room and sat down, and Hinata sat on the bed while she waited for them to start speaking.

"A...Genesect, I think it was called, attacked a nearby building. It was high-leveled, and it wasn't owned by any Pokemon Trainers. It had destroyed the building and...Killed people and Pokemon...and then it came to the Pokemon Center, smelling food and injured Pokemon." Kiba explained quietly, and glanced over at Shino. The room felt slightly morbid, and Hinata suddenly wished she didn't know what had happened.

"The Genesect completely trashed the lobby, and it was only because of Kisame-san and another Trainer that they were able to bring the Pokemon down. The police took the Pokemon into custody, but it escaped again. Currently it's still on the loose, but is traveling up towards Striation City." Shino said.

"They think it's going to either attack the Pokemon Center there, or head towards Pinwheel Forest." Kiba grimly finished. Hinata nodded, assessing the information.

"Are w-we going to have to p-postpone our journey?" Hinata murmured quietly, biting her bottom lip.

"Not sure yet. We'll have to wait until tomorrow for the verdict." Kiba said, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "I just hope that it doesn't hurt anyone else."

"It's a Bug-type Pokemon, so it should go back into hibernation soon, unless it reaches Pinwheel Forest." Shino informed quietly.

"T-two days to r-reach Pinwheel F-forest? D-do you think it'll m-make it?" Hinata asked, her eyes shining with worry and distraught. She had finally started her journey, and now this happens...

"Couldn't tell you. Don't know how fast they are." Shino replied grimly. The room was silent, everyone thinking and worrying about their futures as Pokemon Trainers. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Hinata got up to open it before Kisame opened the door himself, walking in slowly. He glanced over at Shino and Kiba, looking relieved.

"Couldn't find you in your rooms, didn't know if you guys were out there or not." Kisame said gruffly, and Hinata sat back down on her bed. She glanced over him, worried that the rampaging Pokemon might have hurt him during their battle. Kisame didn't look good, but he didn't seem to need medical attention. He had a few bruises on him, and there were cuts and tears in the fabric of his shirt and pants. There wasn't any blood, but he looked worse for the wear.

Hinata bit her lip and motioned for him to sit down, before grabbing her bag and looking for the first aid kit. Kisame noticed her reaching for it, and shook his head. While he appreciated the gesture, most of his worse wounds had already been healed.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine. Just need a good night's rest." Kisame said reassuringly, sitting down. "It's my Pokemon that need the medical attention, and I left them with Joy." Hinata bit her lip, and put the first aid kit down. She glanced over him again, worried. Even if he was scary-looking and gave her a bad vibe, she couldn't just let him be injured...It went against her entire being.

"What happened out there, Kisame-san?" Shino asked quietly, and Kisame grimaced.

"That Genesect was...tough. Doesn't really help my case that the only thing they're weak to is Fire-types. Most of my Pokemon could hit it and do damage normally, but...That thing could nuke them." Kisame's grimace grew. "It had some cannon on its back that fired electrical attacks. It wasted most of my team."

"The other Trainer. They had a Fire-type with them?" Shino asked, and Kisame nodded. He looked tired, he sounded tired, everything about him just seemed...Tired, Hinata realized.

"Had two. Some Sinnoh Fire-type and a Chandelure." Pepper sneezed smoke out of his nostrils at the mention of Fire-types, and Hinata got up to put him in his Pokeball. She didn't want him to get riled up so late in the day. She also decided that she wanted a drink, and that she ought to offer one to Kisame.

"K-kisame-san, d-do you want a-anything to d-drink?" Hinata asked, and he nodded. "Shino-kun? Kiba-kun?" They both nodded as well, and Hinata grabbed four drinks out of her bag as she grabbed Pepper's Pokeball. Kisame gratefully took the drink from her as she handed them out. "H-how long do y-you think it will t-take for them to c-catch the G-genesect?"

"Dunno. That Trainer is out there, trying to catch it. If she doesn't, I don't know how travel will be affected." Kisame answered truthfully, taking a sip of the lemonade. _Itachi-san...You'd better have that Pokemon restrained soon, and fast._

"Sh-shino thinks it w-will go into hi-hibernation again soon." Hinata informed, opening her drink as she sat down on her bed. Shino nodded in confirmation.

"Unless it gets to Pinwheel Forest." Kiba said dejectedly, playing with Akamaru as he sipped on his drink. "Hopefully that veteran Trainer will catch it before then." Kisame nodded in agreement, and turned the topic to lighter things.

* * *

><p>Eventually, Kisame left Hinata's room and returned to his own. He was irritated. He hadn't know the Genesect would be that strong, or that he'd have that much difficulty battling it. The plan was botched up slightly, with the Genesect on the loose. Worse off, now some upstart girl was off trying to catch it.<p>

And he had to hope that she did, before some idiot stumbled upon it and got himself killed. Kisame growled and flopped down on his bed, irritatedly thinking about how the Genesect was going to hamper his travel. Maybe Konan would be sent to catch it. At least the targets had been destroyed.

On the bright side, the battle had gone well enough that he was merely feeling tired, and his Pokemon hadn't suffered too great of wounds. He also got to watch Hinata worry about him a little bit. He smirked. Even with his appearance and fearsomeness, she was the type that would still take care of him. She'd make a good Trainer, and would eventually be able to face any type of Pokemon.

Hinata...The way she had looked at him, when he had walked into her room...made him feel almost human. She looked more concerned than terrified, worried about him and his physical condition than his terrifying appearance. He loved it. Her sweetness, her stuttering as she shyly asked about him...He enjoyed it. He hoped that tomorrow, she'd act the same way, instead of being fearful of him. He knew she probably wouldn't, however...Maybe after a week or so of varying degrees of his presence, he decided. That sounded about right.

He loved being treated as if he was human. Very few people had treated him like one since they had escaped. And if she would treat him as one, he would do anything in his power to keep her safe. Just like he'd do anything in his power to keep Itachi-san safe. And he knew, with her personality, that she would eventually stop seeing him as a monster. Eventually, she would see him as a human. And maybe, hopefully, she'd see him as a precious person...

With those thoughts in his head, he rolled over and tried to sleep, even though he knew the nightmares would wake him up. They always did, after all.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Hinata woke up bright and early. A fierce stubbornness was in her mind, a mantra going through her mind. <em>I will catch a Pokemon, no matter what comes my way!<em> Hinata packed her things, and strode out into the lobby.

The lobby...Was in a vast state of disrepair. Hinata's fire died a bit inside. It was depressing to know that this place had been picture-perfect the day before, and yet...The memories of what Kiba and Shino told her shot through her mind. Hinata bit her lip, her resolve fluttering as she looked over the damage.

Kisame was already up, his large form looking over the railing, wearing shaggy-jeans and a roughly patched-up shirt with sleeves that went barely past his elbows. His bag was next to him, looking like it was in much better condition than his clothing. Hinata reluctantly walked over to him, feeling very nervous in his presence. She knew that he was probably the only reason she was still alive, and yet he still set her on edge.

"Genesect trashed this place. Couldn't stop it, either." Kisame said gruffly, and Hinata could tell he was agitated. She knew if she were in his place, she would feel upset that she couldn't have done much to stop the rampage. And yet, she still chanted her mantra in her head. _I will catch a Pokemon, no matter what comes my way!_

"H-have they found i-it?" She asked, her mantra giving her more courage than normal. She couldn't believe she was willingly talking to him, since none of her friends were here. But she ought to figure out what he was up to, she reasoned. Kisame grunted a negative, and glanced over her.

"Getting an early start?" She nodded, and Kisame snorted. "Wait for your cell-mates, don't wanna end up dead, do you?"

"I w-want to catch a Pokemon." Hinata said firmly. Kisame looked at her, and Hinata felt as if she was being analyzed by her father. Eventually, Kisame snorted again, shaking his head in disbelief. Hinata resisted the urge to giggle when she realized his hair looked like a wave when he did that.

"Fine, fine. Just wait a few more minutes and I'll come with you." Kisame said gruffly, before going to walk down the stairs. Hinata stared at him like a deer in headlights. What? _He was going to come with her?_ Hinata almost started to hyperventilate.

Anxiety spread through her, her determination lessening as she watched Nurse Joy nervously hand back his Pokeballs. _Oh Arceus, Arceus, Arceus..._ Kisame looked up at her, and saw her expression. A smirk flitted over his face, before pointing over at the PokeMart. Hinata obeyed, and rushed downstairs to start to stocking up on supplies.

_Oh Arceus, why did he have to come along?_

This was not going to be a good day, Hinata decided. At least she knew what he'd be doing today...

* * *

><p>Hinata timidly took her first step into Route 2, peering around at her surroundings. Kisame boldly stepped into the route with ease, stretching and giving her a smirk. Hinata pursed her lips, determination in her eyes, before walking over toward the grass. Kisame lazily followed.<p>

"Pepper, use Ember!" Hinata called out, and the little pig Pokemon blew fire out of his mouth, weakening the Lillipup. The Lillipup Growled in defiance, before charging at Hinata's Tepig. Hinata took this chance to throw a Pokeball at the puppy.

The red and white ball smacked into the Lillipup, before sucking it into the ball and falling to the ground. It shook three times, before dinging. Hinata's heart soared with joy and pride, having caught her very own Pokemon. She gasped, and dashed over to the Pokeball, picking it up and staring at it with pride.

She happily turned to Kisame, beaming as she showed him the Pokeball. She had begun to feel less nervous with him around as they had searched for a Pokemon, and the moment of actually capturing her own Pokemon just made her feel on top of the world. She was glad someone was here to see this. She was actually grateful he'd come to help her.

Kisame merely smirked at her, and patted her on the head. She mock-glared at him, her cheeks heating up with embarrassment. "Good job. And you didn't stutter when you called out that attack." Hinata blinked, remembering back, and realized that she hadn't. More pride and confidence shot through her, along with confusion and surprise that he had noticed.

Suddenly, the rush of emotions was too much and she just couldn't handle all the emotions she was feeling.

Hinata promptly fainted.

Kisame barely caught her before she hit the ground, and resisted the urge to panic. _Well, shit. Now what am I going to do?_ He thought, before deciding to take her back to the Pokemon Center. They weren't that far into Route 2, anyway.

Kisame picked her up bridal-style, and carried her back into town.

* * *

><p>Hinata woke up in a bed. Confused, she tried to remember what had happened before she had fainted. She'd caught her first Pokemon, and then...<p>

Oh, Arceus, Kisame had carried her here.

Oh, Arceus. Where was here?

Hinata hurriedly sat up, and saw that she was in a Center's room. She carefully got up out of bed, seeing she was still dressed, aside from her shoes, and looked around for her stuff. Her bag was by the door, with Pepper and her Lillipup's Pokeballs attached to the strap.

Kisame's bag was right next to it. Hinata started to hyperventilate. Was she in his room? She must be, because she had given the key to her room back that morning. Oh, Arceus, Arceus, Arceus.

As Hinata was looking for her shoes, the door opened and Kisame walked in, Kiba and Shino right behind him.

"Yeah, Hinata-chan is- Oh, Hinata-chan!" Kiba exclaimed, topping mid-sentence from whatever he was about to say about her to tackle-hug her. "Hinata-chan, we were worried! You hadn't fainted in a long time, so we weren't sure what to do!"

Shino snorted. "I knew what to do, but Kiba insisted on panicking." Kiba glared over at Shino, who merely stood back, an amused smirk on his face. Hinata smiled at the two, before she remembered about something.

"My Lillipup! K-kiba-kun, Shino-kun, I c-caught a Lillipup!" Hinata exclaimed, picking up her bag and grabbing the Lillipup's ball. Kiba and Shino both smiled encouragingly, and congratulated her.

"Is it male or female? What're you gonna name it, Hinata-chan?" Kiba asked excitedly, and Hinata let the Lillipup out of the Pokeball.

"Sh-she's a she. And h-her name will b-be Mimi." Hinata declared proudly, as the Lillipup looked up at her and yipped hello.

And then Kiba had an idea.

* * *

><p>"The first match will be between Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuuga. The winner will face Shino Aburame." Kisame announced to the people of the park. The people watching cheered enthusiastically. "The matches will consist of two-on-two Pokemon battles, and the winner's Pokemon will be healed to face Shino."<p>

Hinata looked at Kiba from across the field, determination in her eyes. She wouldn't lose this, no matter what! Kiba grinned with anticipation, Akamaru and Koi both making yipping noises. Pepper threw up dirt, pretending that he was a Bouffalant while Mimi made gaga eyes at Akamaru.

This match would be interesting.

"Begin!"

"Pepper, use Ember on Akamaru! Mimi, Tackle Koi!" Hinata called out as soon as the match had begun.

"Koi, dodge and use Water Gun on Pepper! Akamaru, use Bite!"

Pepper suddenly had to dodge two on-coming attacks, Koi using Water Gun for a type-advantage, and Akamaru merely trying to inflict damage. Mimi, however, came from behind and Tackled Koi with all her strength. Koi flew back, and quickly regained her balance, though grimacing from the attack.

Pepper took this chance to use Ember on Akamaru, and made a direct hit since Akamaru had been charging towards Pepper.

"Good job! Now use Tackle, Pepper! Mimi, keep on Koi!" Hinata ordered, grinning and feeling full of confidence.

"Koi, take out Mimi with a Water Gun, then refocus on Pepper! Akamaru, take out Pepper!" Kiba shouted, a frustrated look on his face.

Mimi slammed into Koi with another Tackle, who shot a Water Gun at her as she flew back. Since Akamaru was still recovering from the Ember attack, Pepper easily took out Akamaru with a finishing Tackle. Mimi and Akamaru both fainted.

Now it was just Pepper and Koi.

"Water Gun!" Kiba ordered quickly, seeing his chance. Koi inhaled and aimed at Pepper.

"Dodge it, and use Tackle!" Hinata ordered, biting her lip. Pepper just barely managed to dodge, and sped towards Koi, Tackling her with all his strength.

Koi fell backwards, swirls in her eyes.

"Hinata Hyuuga is the winner of round one!" Kisame announced, raising his hand into the air as the crowd cheered.

Hinata couldn't believe she won. She stood there shocked, and then the butterflies in her stomach bubbled up excitedly, before she ran over to Kiba and hugged him. Kiba grinned, proud of his friend and his Pokemon, and twirled Hinata around as she hugged him.

Kisame grinned at the scene, remembering the elation of winning his first Pokemon battle for a few seconds, before calling Shino up. A local Audino healed both Kiba and Hinata's Pokemon, and Kiba went to go sit on the sidelines. He carried Akamaru and Koi with him as he went, and Hinata could hear him say how proud he was of them for doing so well in their first official match.

Hinata wanted this feeling to never end.

Hinata and Shino took their places, and Shino called out Ivy and Yune to his side.

"The match between Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuuga will begin...Now!"

"Yune, use Bug Bite on Mimi! Ivy, Vine Whip!" Shino quickly ordered, and Yune quickly ran towards Mimi, while Ivy attempted to hold her down.

"Mimi, dodge them and Tackle Yune! Pepper, burn those vines with an Ember!" Hinata called, remembering Pepper's type advantage against both Pokemon.

Mimi managed to avoid the vines, but she didn't escape Yune's Bug Bite, and was forced to fling the sewing Pokemon off of her. Pepper easily burnt Ivy's exposed vines, causing the Snivy to hiss in pain, before charging towards Pepper in a Tackle.

Pepper dodged to the side, but didn't manage to completely miss Ivy's tackle.

"Mimi, Tackle Ivy! Pepper, focus on Yune! Ember!" Hinata called out, seconds before Yune attempted to Tackle Mimi.

"Yune, keep on Mimi! Ivy, don't let Pepper take out Yune!" Shino was too slow, and Pepper's fire was already hurtling towards Yune by the time he finished speaking. Yune fainted, while Ivy picked up Pepper and threw him with his vines.

"Tackle and Ember Ivy!" Hinata ordered out the finishing blow. Ivy didn't stand a chance, as Mimi Tackled the Pokemon straight into the fire.

"Shino has been defeated!" Kisame exclaimed. "The matches are now over!"

* * *

><p>It was the middle of the afternoon when the Kiba and Shino departed, deciding to travel to the next city together. Reluctantly, Hinata hugged her two best friends, and told them to meet up with her in Striation City.<p>

"We'll try our best, Hinata-chan!"

"Good luck. Please be careful of your health, Hinata-chan."

Hinata returned to the Pokemon Center to plan her next move. Her heart was heavy as she remembered that they had all agreed to travel by themselves. She had hoped that they would have forgotten, and that they would have all traveled together, at least for the first few cities. Now, she was somewhat depressed at being left behind. She could only hope they would travel with her later if she managed to keep up. That is, if they even wanted to travel with her in the first place...

As she walked into the Pokemon Center, her head full of gloom, she couldn't help but notice Kisame standing by the door. He stood there, his arms crossed and with a cocky grin on his face. He looked a lot less intimidating now than he had before, though she couldn't place why.

"Want a traveling buddy, Hinata-san?" He asked bluntly, and Hinata smiled softly. She was surprised, nervous, and worried, but she appreciated the offer. It made the journey to Striation City seem a lot less lonely, now that she knew someone would travel with her. At least _someone_ wanted her, even if the person in question was a scary shark-man...

"O-okay, Kisame-san. Th-thank you." Hinata said, nodding as she smiled up a him. Kisame's grin widened, and he started up more of a conversation. Hinata's gloomy mood lifted all the while.

* * *

><p><em>I liked the first ending I had better, but this one makes more sense and flows better. Hinata will hopefully become more and more use to Kisame's presence as it goes on. C: Still trying to figure out how exactly to get Kisame's character. He's suppose to be intimidating and sadistic, yet still polite. Since I haven't got him into a battle yet, I'm not sure how to work in the blood-thirstysadistic/battle-loving part of his personality._

_Leave a review, please. Any suggestions and ideas on how Kisame should act will be much loved._


	3. Presents and Presences for Hinatachan!

**Sharks in Sunny Places**

_I'm not quite sure what to put here. Oh, I started college, so I'm probably going to put out one chapter a week, or maybe bi-weekly._

_Kisame is 31 years old._

_Itachi is 20._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon or Naruto. Boo.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three:<strong> Presents and Presences

* * *

><p>Kisame Hoshigaki laid on the couch, thinking about his task. Itachi-san would certainly find this odd, now wouldn't he? He was actually enjoying this babysitting job, even though he had grumbled about it when Itachi-san and Pein-sama informed him of it.<p>

Come to think of it, this relaxing mission was nice compared to previous ones. Genesect, he remembered, was quite a handful. Thank Jirachi that Konan-san had captured it. Now he and his charge could travel on to Striation City. Starting tomorrow, he and her would both travel up Route 2 to Striation City and look around before Hinata-san would challenge the Gym leader.

A small smirk curved his lips upwards. She certainly had gotten more confidence, after beating her two friends in battles and catching her own Pokemon. He wondered how much more confident she'd be in a month from now, instead of just one day after her journey had begun. He was even able to share a room with her, for which he was both worried and grateful for.

The two had decided to share a room, since most of the Center's rooms were full due to the holidays and the attack of that damned Genesect. Plus, workers to repair the Pokemon Center had arrived around noon to begin fixing up the place, and it was noisy. They hadn't stopped working yet, and it was nearly 10pm. Kisame was just glad he'd gotten a room so far away from the lobby, unlike Hinata's former room which had been only a few doors down from the lobby. He was actually surprised that she hadn't fainted when she had asked to share a room with him, though she had certainly turned an interesting shade of purple.

His eyes traveled over towards the door, which was opening, interrupting his train of thought. Hinata walked in, her feet bare and clad in soft-looking lavender pajamas, her hair swishing every time she took a step. He stared at her as she crossed the room, and a hint of nervousness filled the air. But she still spoke.

"K-kisame-san, the kitchen cl-closed, so I wasn't able to g-get any food." Hinata informed, and he shrugged nonchalantly as she sat down across from him and made herself comfortable. She was getting more relaxed around him, for which he was grateful. He could have smelt the anxiety and nervousness a mile away when he had approached her before, but now it was more subdued. But he could still sense her paranoia and an underlying sense of distrust. Kisame realized that he probably had a long way to go until she fully trusted him. And eventually, she would ask about his ID. He knew she would, and he was not looking forward to that.

"Not a problem. Just wait until morning, then." Kisame said, turning his eyes back to the television where the News was playing. Hinata let out her Lillipup and pulled it onto her lap, stroking the puppy Pokemon softly, humming quietly as she did so. Time passed, both relaxing and the drone of the TV filling up most of the silence.

"Kisame-san, wh-what type of Pokemon do you h-have?" Hinata asked, half an hour later.

"Type, or specific Pokemon?" Kisame asked back, still laying on the couch, his arms propped behind his head in a more relaxed position.

"Pokemon." Hinata said simply, and Kisame thought of all the Pokemon he'd caught over the years.

"Hmm. My starter was a Mudkip. Currently, though, I have a Surskit, Croconaw, Tirtouga, and an Eevee. Rest are all in the PC." Kisame answered after a minute or two, looking over at Hinata.

"O-oh. So you're training y-your Pokemon?" Kisame grunted an affirmative. "Wh-what Pokemon are you wanting to c-catch, then?"

"Sandile. Maybe a Spheal, once I head over to Undella Town. Probably gonna catch a Ducklette." Kisame said, pulling out his Pokedex from his pocket to look over Pokemon in the Unova region. Now that he thought about it, what Pokemon _could_ he catch? "What about you, Hinata-san?"

"U-uhm." Hinata's lips pursed, and Kisame watched her thoughtful expression as she considered all the Pokemon she knew. "P-petlil, definitely. M-maybe a Sandile. Frillish, I th-think."

"Heh, sounds like a good team." Kisame commented, before getting up and turning off the TV. "Gonna hit the hay." Hinata nodded, and got up as well. Kisame easily hauled himself up to the second bunk and laid down, while Hinata went and turned out all the lights. She crawled into the bottom bunk, pulling down the covers and cuddling up to Mimi before dragging them back up again.

"G-good night, Kisame-san."

"G'night."

* * *

><p>Hinata awoke during the middle of the night to the sound of the bunk bed creaking. Kisame was thrashing around in his sleep, muttering incomprehensible things. Next to her, Mimi whimpered and cuddled in closer.<p>

Hinata bit her lip and tried to go back to sleep.

Kisame woke up from his nightmare, a grimace on his face. "Dammit, can't get one night of good sleep..." He muttered, before swinging his legs over the bed and pushing himself down.

Kisame turned to look at Hinata, staring at her. Her brows were tightly knitted together, and she was biting her lip. Hinata inwardly prayed that he didn't know she was awake. Kisame sighed, and ran his hand through his hair, before going to the bathroom.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you." He muttered to her, his rumbling voice sounding distant, tired, unhappy. Hinata's heart fell down into her stomach. He'd known she was awake...

Hinata forced herself to relax, and tried to go back to sleep as she heard the shower turn on.

* * *

><p>Kisame leaned against the shower wall, enjoying the feeling of hot water hitting his back. He tried not to think of the nightmare he'd had, but like every night, he failed.<p>

Gruesome images kept popping into his head. Gruesome memories. Some were his, some were of...Another life.

A cold shiver went up his spine, and he grabbed the handle and pushed it to the hottest temperature it would go.

He still felt cold.

* * *

><p>He walked out of the bathroom, clad in the clothes he wore yesterday. It didn't bother him.<p>

As he walked over to the other side of the room, the Hyuuga heiress caught his eye. He walked over to her, a mix of emotions stirring up in him. She looked...So peaceful, laying there with her arms around her Pokemon.

"Kasan..." She muttered, and Kisame smirked. _Such an innocent little girl._

Kisame walked over and sat on the couch, preparing to wait until she awoke. _At least one of us can have good dreams._

* * *

><p>They embarked on their journey just an hour or two after the sun had risen. They had approximately one day before Winter would officially here, and they needed to make quick time. Traveling through Route 2 would take approximately two hours, not including Trainer battles and other distractions.<p>

Hinata was ready. That bubbling excitement was there, threatening to burst out of her stomach. The route was calm, for now, but she knew something exciting would be happening any moment.

She kept up that mentality for the first twenty minutes of Route 2.

They were passing through very thick grass, and the trees were so tight together that it made traveling into the forest difficult. Frequently, the cries of Pokemon could be heard. Occasionally the trees would rustle, and a Pokemon would dart across the path, in brown or purple blurs. Kisame always stood a few steps back of Hinata, letting her lead as he leisurely kept up. They traveled in a quiet manner, neither knowing quite what to say.

Eventually, they reached their first Trainer. He was a small boy, in shorts and a baggy t-shirt. Hinata had to wonder how long he'd been waiting for someone to come, dressed in an outfit as ridiculous as that in this weather. He turned to look at them, and he spotted Kisame first by the look on his face, and then regained some color as he saw Hinata.

"H-hey! Lady!" He called out, drawing their attention to him. "I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" Hinata merely nodded, and grasped Mimi's Pokeball. She glanced over at Kisame, who rolled his shoulders nonchalantly and went to go stand out of the way, leaning against the trunk of a large tree.

"Go, Patchy!" The opposing Trainer called out, throwing a Pokeball onto the makeshift field. A small Patrat appeared, looking not-quite-adorable.

"Mimi, let's go!" Hinata said, throwing her Pokeball into the air. The small puppy appeared, and growled lightly at her opponent. The battle begun not seconds afterward.

* * *

><p>She had defeated that Trainer, and a few others, with relative ease. It was now about mid-day, and the two were halfway to Striation City. They had both decided to take a break for lunch as they reached the small clearing.<p>

Hinata sat on a small boulder near Kisame, eating a bit of travel rations, glancing over at Kisame every so often. His appearance was certainly still frightening, and he intimidated other Trainers enough that they wouldn't challenge him. But she couldn't fear him as much as she did when she first approached him. However, he still gave her that nervous and wary feeling. He looked so much like a shark she had to wonder if she was his prey, sometimes. He had a few responses that seemed outright feral, and when he grinned Hinata felt like she was about to be eaten. And yet, she was not as nervous and paranoid and fearful as she had been when she first encountered him.

She briefly wondered if Neji's sensory adaptation to Lee could also affect her adaptation to Kisame, and giggled slightly. Kisame gave her a weird look, before taking a swig of his drink. The silence remained.

She had to admit, that did seem like a logical explanation. Lee, when she had first met him, was nearly as intimidating as Kisame was. Sure, he seemed more dorky and creepy than outright intimidating and predatory, but he was enough of a monster in his own right. She had had many nightmares about being eaten or sucked into Lee's eyebrows before, she remembered with amusement. And to be honest, Kisame didn't seem like too bad of a guy, other than his fearsome appearance and his rare predatory responses.

He did have a weird obsession with fish, though...

"Hinata-san, let's continue." Kisame said, breaking her out of her thoughts. He stood up and dusted himself off, before offering a hand to help her up.

"O-okay." She agreed, and took his hand. As she did so, she noticed how small her hand was in his, how rough the callouses on his palm seemed, and how warm it was. Her eyes flickered over to his, and she mumbled her thanks. His eyes lit up a bit, and he grunted contentedly, before turning towards Striation City.

Maybe he just wanted someone to see him as normal, she wondered. After all, she certainly knew he didn't have to travel with her...

* * *

><p>Kisame wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation. Hinata had seen a girly-man she recognized, and dashed over to hug him. Kisame was tempted to follow, but he stayed back, not wanting to frighten off...whoever this was. He knew he had scared a few Trainers off just by the sight of him.<p>

"Neji-ni! I d-didn't know y-you'd already made it t-to Striation City!" He heard her exclaim. Her brother, then? They parted from the hug, and Kisame could see the similarities between them. Long hair, in a girly fashion, white, pupil-less eyes that stood out against his fair-colored skin.

"Hn. You're late, Hinata-sama. I expected you to arrive with Kiba-san and Shino-san." Neji said stiffly, causing Hinata to freeze noticably before Neji patted her on the head. "Come. I have a present for you at the Pokemon Center."

Hinata relaxed and smiled up at the man, before turning to look back for Kisame. She spotted him, trying to stay hidden under the treeline, and cocked her head in confusion. Kisame shook his head, and stepped back further into the trees, vanishing from sight. Yes, he definitely didn't want to scare him off, Kisame decided. He was sure Hiashi hadn't told her brother about him, and he didn't seem like the type to allow his little sister to travel with a giant fish-man.

"Hinata-sama? Did you hear something?" Neji asked, looking out past her towards the trees.

"N-no. Just s-seeing how far I'd c-come." Hinata lied, feeling strangely disappointed that Kisame wouldn't be coming with her. She knew he didn't have to come with her, but did he really not want to...? Then again, she considered the possibility that he didn't want to scare off one of her family members. Just because Kiba and Shino treated him normally didn't mean Neji-ni would.

"Ahh. Shall we go, now?" Neji asked, understandingly nodding.

"Y-yes, Neji-ni." Hinata replied, turning away from Route 2 and looking towards Striation City.

Kisame watched her depart, cursing himself in frustration.

This would make things more difficult.

* * *

><p>Hinata arrived in the Pokemon Center, closely following Neji. He lead her over to the waiting area, where she was surprised to find TenTen, Lee, Shino, and Kiba all sitting around the table, talking animatedly.<p>

"Hinata-sama has arrived." Neji announced simply, and everyone's gaze turned to them. Hinata was met by vibrant grins, and TenTen patting the seat next to her.

"Come sit by me, Hinata-chan!" TenTen urged, and Hinata complied with a smile. Neji vanished, saying he had to go grab something, while Lee and TenTen asked how she was enjoying her journey.

"I-it's going well s-so far. I c-can't wait to ch-challenge the Striation g-gym." Hinata said, smiling softly.

"Did your adventurous voyage to this lovely city venture well, Hinata-sama?" Lee asked, and Hinata nodded. Hinata still didn't understand why he had to speak so weirdly, but Lee was nice. Even if she had had nightmares about him when she was younger.

"Sorry about ditching you in Accumula, Hinata-chan, but Neji really wanted to make a surprise party for you." Kiba apologized, rubbing the back of his neck with an apologetic expression on his face.

"He threatened to burn my Bug Pokemon." Shino explained, his tone venomous. Poor Neji, he was going to have to make that up to Shino...

"O-oh! I'm sorry, Shino-kun! I-it's okay though, h-he wouldn't have m-meant it."

"I'm back, Hinata-sama." Neji appeared, a small box with a bow on top of it in his hand. Hinata tilted her head to the side in confusion, as Neji placed the box in front of her. "Happy birthday, Hinata-sama."

"O-oh! Thank you, N-neji-ni!" Hinata said, realizing what the box was for. Hinata opened the box, to see a Pokeball inside. She bit her lip, staring at the ball.

"Open the ball, Hinata-chan! We worked really hard to find that specific Pokemon!" TenTen exclaimed, nudging Hinata. Hinata reluctantly pressed the button on the ball, watching as the light formed the shape of a Pokemon.

"To-nee!" The Pokemon greeted, and Hinata squeaked happily, hugging the Pokemon. It was a Cottonee, an adorable, soft-feeling Grass-type Pokemon that evolved into a Whimsicott.

"Her name is Poofeh." Neji said proudly. Hinata froze, and looked up to see if he was serious. He looked completely serious. Hinata inwardly groaned. Neji had never been good at naming things...

"We couldn't get him to change the name. I'm sorry Hinata-chan." TenTen explained, glaring lightly at Neji.

"May we partake in eating the glorious cake now, Neji-san?"

"Yes Lee, we can eat the cake."

"YOSH!"

* * *

><p>Kisame and Hinata met up again, later that day, as Hinata was taking in the sights of the city. Kisame had been lurking in the alleyways behind a row of houses, and Hinata had barely seen him before entering the Dream Yard.<p>

From afar, Hinata watched him, trying to decide if she should approach him or not. His attention was focused on something out on the street, and he wouldn't notice if she just walked away. But something in her told her to go speak to him, and before she could stop herself she was calling his name.

He turned to her, a surprised expression on his face. Hinata bit her lip, mustering up all of her courage. and bravely started to walk over to him.

"Kisame-san!" She greeted again, as he stood there. He had a light scowl on his face, watching her as she approached.

"What're you doing?" Kisame asked gruffly, crossing his arms. Hinata bit her lip. That pose made him look more intimidating. Her thoughts raced, trying to think of something she could say. Really, she ought to have thought more before coming over here, she chided herself.

"Uhm...I w-was about to g-go into the Dr-dream Yard." Hinata said truthfully. She pressed her fingers together nervously. She honestly didn't know what to do, and this was making her feel anxious and oh Arceus he looked intimidating right now. He had added a scowl to the look, and Hinata wished she'd thought this through more.

"It's that way, y'know." He said, motioning to the other direction. Her face flushed, and she thought of something else to say. She was briefly annoyed at his slight rudeness, and pursed her lips together before speaking.

"I-i know, but I s-saw you over here a-and..." Hinata trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Kisame snorted when he released she didn't have anything else to say. Suddenly, Hinata had a flash of insight. "C-could you accompany m-me to N-nacrene City after I ch-challenge the Striation gym?"

Hinata couldn't believe she had actually just asked him that. By the look on his face, he couldn't believe it either. "Uh...What about your brother?"

Hinata's mouth formed an 'o' in surprise, and waved her hand in a negative motion. "N-no, Neji-ni isn't m-my brother, he's my c-cousin!"

"And?" Kisame asked, slouching slightly as he raised an eyebrow. Frustration bubbled up in her, before she realized that he was probably having a horrible day. But that was not enough reason to treat her rudely.

"He only w-wanted to see me to g-give me a b-birthday present!" Hinata exclaimed, still in panic mode. Her face was starting to get a tomato-red color, instead of just a light-pink. "H-he forced Kiba-kun and Shino-kun to l-leave me last t-town, but th-they had all planned to t-travel on their own after St-striation City anyway!"

"So they just ditched you?" Kisame said bluntly, disbelief on his face. Hinata gasped, horrified that he'd accuse her friends and cousin of that.

"N-no, it's not..." Hinata realized it probably did seem likely that they would do that. "O-okay. Maybe they DID ditch me, b-but they didn't m-mean to! W-we all agreed on i-it!" Hinata defended. Kisame stared at her, before snorting and shaking his head.

His large hand rested on her head and messed up her hair, chuckling as she frowned at him, her lips pursed. "You're weird, y'know that?" Hinata's face, which had lost some of its rosy color from before, flushed a deep red.

"I'll be waiting at the Center when you need me," Kisame said as he walked away, "Hinata-chan."

Hinata stood in the alley, her limbs shaking as she tried to process what just happened. _Oh, Arceus..._ She thought, slumping down. _Why in the world did I do that..._

* * *

><p>Kisame couldn't thank her more. His thoughts had been taking a turn for the worse, when she appeared out of nowhere. She had looked extremely uncomfortable and flighty, and he had probably made talking to him awkward, but he certainly appreciated what she had done. Not only that, but it made his job a hell of a lot easier.<p>

That was why he was following her. The Dream Yard was generally a safe place for novice Trainers to go and train, but Kisame knew today would prove otherwise. After all, those two were suppose to be having a meeting here...

Kisame lurked in the trees, carefully watching Hinata battle her way through. She had acquired a new Pokemon, it seemed, and Kisame had a hunch that it was the present "Neji-ni" had been talking about. Kisame unfortunately had to admit it suited her.

The cute Pokemon, which she called "Poofeh" (he certainly hoped that she hadn't picked out the name herself, or he'd kill her future Pokemon out of pity) made a good addition to her team, and would assist her in her first Gym battle. It was a Grass-type, and since she had chosen a Fire-type for her starter, she would be battling Cress. And Cress was a Water-type Trainer, he remembered. The Cottonee made a very useful gift. It was a Pokemon that could heal itself, to boot, so she wouldn't have to worry nearly as much about potions and such.

Kisame continued watching her from the trees as she explored the ruins of the abandoned building. She seemed to be looking for something other than just training. She had repeatedly pulled out her Pokedex, but Kisame couldn't think of any special Pokemon that resided here off the top of his head. Eventually, she trailed out of sight, and with no other decent hiding spots available, Kisame was forced to do something he wasn't fond of.

He used his human body to do something entirely inhuman. He pooled his chakra into his legs, took a running start, and leaped up onto the concrete that was nearly twenty feet above ground. And he did it all without breaking a sweat.

Kisame felt a rush of pride swell up in him at his amazing feat as he looked back from the spot that he had formerly resided in. Then he felt a crushing disparity as he remembered that normal humans didn't do that. He shoved those irritating feelings aside and went to go watch over Hinata.

* * *

><p>Hinata was looking for a Munna. Not just any Munna, either. She was looking for one with the ability Synchronize. Unfortunately, she hadn't found a single Munna. So she was forced to search every corner of the Dream Yard, and hadn't found much success.<p>

That was how she stumbled upon this situation. All she had been doing was searching around the Dream Yard, and running out of places in sight she had turned a corner to see...those two.

Currently, she was hidden behind Kisame, who was glaring fiercely at the two men across a set of sunken stairs. A predatory energy leaked out of him, and it was as fearsome if not more so than the two across from them. Hinata shook with fear, not knowing what to do and fearing the outcome if she fled. She felt sick from the fear coursing through her as she observed the two men that Kisame was protecting her from.

One of them had dark-colored skin, the color of bark, with large, black-stitching covering what parts of his body that she had seen. Most of his skin was covered, but he wore a tight-fitting vest and a large hood over his face, his jade eyes gleaming out with greed, while his pants seemed to be mere sweatpants. An odd-looking bandage was on one of his legs, and Hinata briefly wondered if he was injured.

The other male had almost gray skin, and his face was concealed by bandages, cold, fearsome coal eyes glaring over everything he could see under a messy mop of black hair. Amazingly, he was shirtless, but had baggy cow-print pants and sandals covering his feet. A thin material formed a cross over his chest, and Pokeballs were attached to it.

They both reeked of intimidation, and they seemed viscous and predatory. They were terrifying. Hinata could feel her heart beating rapidly, and she was afraid it might burst out of her chest if it beat any faster. These two were just so...Predatory, the air around them reeked of it. And they seemed to enjoy what little of her terrified expression they could see.

"Kisame-san, what are you doing?" The one with stitching growled raspily. Hinata bit her lip, worried. They knew each other? Thoughts started to race in her mind, before one in particular stood out. Of _course_ they knew each other, predators like these would obviously be aware of other ones. Territory... Territory laws of Pokemon went through her thoughts, and she was finding it hard to breathe.

"Keeping a little mouse from being eaten, Kakuzu-san." Kisame replied, his eyes darting between the two. Dammit, this was exactly what he had hoped _wouldn't_ happen. And he just knew Hinata would ask questions about this later.

"Taken a little bird under your wing, have you?" The other one sneered, taking an aggressive pose. _Oh Arceus._ Hinata thought. _This man wants to hurt us, doesn't he?_ Hinata whimpered, placing herself more behind Kisame.

"It's not like you haven't done the same." Kisame shot back, snorting. _Dammit, dammit, dammit. I should have stalled her from entering. We wouldn't BE in this mess if I hadn't thought they'd have already left._ Kisame thought angrily. He knew Hinata was scared. He knew she could sense the killing intent radiating from Zabuza. He just didn't know how to prevent a battle from occurring. He hoped Kakuzu-san would restrain Zabuza-san.

"True, but at least mine could have defended itself." He said, laughing cruelly. He reached toward his Pokeballs, but Kakuzu halted him, an arm outstretched.

"Zabuza. We will continue this elsewhere." Kakuzu said strictly, and Zabuza's eyes narrowed, his eyes darting over to Kakuzu with defiance in his eyes. Zabuza reluctantly dropped his hand, and sneered over at Kisame. Kisame inwardly sighed with relief. Kakuzu went down the staircase, looking Kisame in the eyes as he did so.

"Keep your mouse out of trouble." He warned, before his head departed from view. Zabuza glared over at Kisame, his pose still aggressive. He was practically seething. Hinata could see his neck veins bulging in anger, and it terrified her. She wondered what exactly he had against Kisame, and made a mental note to ask him.

"You got lucky this time, fish-boy. Next time, you'll pay." He growled, before following Kakuzu down the stairs.

Hinata exhaled shakily, not realizing she had been holding her breath the entire time. She suddenly collapsed, and retch up the contents of her stomach. She heard Kisame curse, and felt her hair be jerked out of the way of her face. She looked up at Kisame fearfully after she finished. He was looking down at her, firm expression on his face. She shuddered as she realized his eyes were boring into her face, and Kisame frowned.

"You alright?" he grunted, and she nodded slowly. He grimaced as he looked down at her. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, or worse, fainting. He could see her entire body trembling, and a pang of worry went through him. _She wasn't ready to deal with those types of people._

"Wh-who w-were th-those p-people?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She was surprised she could actually manage to talk, even if she had butchered the words. She didn't care about her stutter at that moment. All she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and hide.

"Old friends." Kisame replied, glancing back over to the stairs, as if to assure himself that they were really gone, before focusing completely on Hinata. He needed to get her out of here, and fast. "Why were you here?"

"I-i wanted some training, a-and I w-was looking for a M-munna."

"Let's go find one and get out of here, then." Kisame said gruffly, and Hinata nodded meekly. He helped her up, noticing she almost collapsed again as he did so. He grimaced made sure she was steady, before he started onwards. Hinata kept shaking, following as he led with uneven footsteps. Kisame kept an eye on her the entire time, not knowing what to do with the still-trembling girl. He hoped she would be strong enough to continue, at least until they got back to town.

* * *

><p>They had finally found a Munna. The cute purple and pink Pokemon floated in the air, nonchalantly staying as the two humans approached. The silence in the air was deafening, and the Pokemon looked like it was going to flee at the slightest loud noise. Hinata quietly summoned Pepper, and ordered him to use Growl.<p>

The small pig walked over to the floating elephant, and growled cutely at it. The elephant Yawned, causing Pepper to yawn as well. Hinata frowned, and ordered Pepper to use an Ember attack.

The pig breathed fire on the elephant, causing it to hiss out in pain and hover away. Hinata, seeing that the Pokemon was slightly burned and close to fainting, grabbed a Love ball and tossed it at the Munna.

The ball shook three times, and dinged. Next to it, Pepper fell asleep, due to the Yawn attack that the Munna had used on it. Hinata quietly returned Pepper and picked up her new Munna's ball. She briefly marveled at how easy it had been to catch the Pokemon that had taken such a long time to find. She glanced over at Kisame, who was leaning against a concrete wall, watching.

"W-we can h-head back now, K-kisame-san." Hinata said quietly, walking over to him. He nodded, and pushed himself upright and began walking towards town. Hinata kept his easy pace, noting that he was walking leisurely enough that she wouldn't have to rush to catch up. She didn't know how he could be so casual sometimes.

"Challenging the Gym tomorrow?" He asked gruffly as they walked, and Hinata nodded."Good. Next is Nacrene City, isn't it?"

Hinata nodded again, relieved that he was actually going to come with her. She was still having mixed feelings about it all, but she was grateful he'd come with her. With him looking over her, things seemed a lot less scary. She just prayed to Arceus that there wouldn't be any more people like Zabuza and Kakuzu to run into. But even if there were, Kisame could probably defend her from them.

"Th-thank you, Kisame-san. For everything." She said, smiling up at him brightly. Kisame glanced down at her face and blushed slightly, the appreciation and warmth in her eyes not something he was use to.

"N-no problem, Hinata-chan." Kisame muttered, speeding up a bit. Hinata smile grew, and sped up to match his pace, stifling the urge to giggle at his reaction.

* * *

><p>They were at the Pokemon Center, both of them preparing for tomorrow. Hinata was in the shower, while Kisame was looking over their supplies. They had everything they needed for the trip tomorrow. Now, all he had to do was wait for Hinata to free up the shower.<p>

Twenty minutes later, he was slightly agitated. She still wasn't done with her shower. "Did you drown?" He asked loudly, knocking on the door.

"N-no! I'm f-fine, Kisame-san!" Came her muffled reply.

"Then what's taking so long?" He grumbled impatiently.

"I n-need to sh-shave, Kisame-san!" Kisame got a confused expression on his face, and then rolled his eyes. Women and their perpetual need to be pretty when it wasn't practical.

"Why? Winter starts _tomorrow_. You'll _need_ that body hair." Kisame pointed out gruffly. Kisame honestly didn't understand why she needed to shave.

"I n-_need_ to shave!" Hinata insisted, and Kisame rolled his eyes. Kisame pulled over a chair and straddled it, preparing for her to exit the shower. He heard the shower turn off a few minutes later, and the curtain pulled open. She opened the door a minute later, frowning slightly at him. He gave a smirk to her, causing her frown to deepen, as expected.

What he didn't expect was what she said next. "I-i hope you h-have a c-coat, K-kisame-san, if y-you're going to le-lecture me about sh-_shaving_." Kisame blinked.

Inwardly, Hinata prayed that he wouldn't get angry for her boldness. In hindsight, saying what she had said was very stupid...But she had been irritable. All girls shaved, no matter what the season! Generally, for a male's approval! Males were the lucky ones, they got to _keep_ their body hair, while females had to freeze! All of that irritated train of thought was what had motivated her to speak in such a way to Kisame, and yet now in hindsight she had probably just done something that would make him angry.

However, all of that fear and anger was blown out of the water by his next statement.

"No. I don't need one." He stated bluntly, staring at her. She stared back. He didn't need one? _He didn't even HAVE one?_ Oh no, she couldn't let him travel without one! She always had to have her coat, just for modesty's sake, and he didn't have one because he thought he didn't need one? She couldn't comprehend that logic. So, her mind made up a solution for her.

"You d-don't have a coat?" She asked again, her eyes looking him up and down, and he nodded. Hinata bit her lip, and nodded with what looked like determination in her eyes. Kisame was confused. He was more confused when she grabbed his hand and started to tug him towards the door.

"Uh, where are we going?" Kisame asked, letting Hinata drag him along. Kisame felt a sense of impending doom approach him. This was awkward and confusing and dreadful and oh Jirachi that look in her eye worried him.

"To get you a coat." Hinata said firmly. _Oh Jirachi this was going to take a long time, wasn't it?_ Kisame thought worriedly. _I should have just lied..._

And that was how they ended up at a random department store, Hinata forcing him to try on coats while not looking proper to be in a public place. She was in her pajamas, for Jirachi's sake...

"How is this one?" She asked, handing him another jacket for him to reluctantly put on. He didn't know his size anymore, so they had been searching for the right one. Hinata had actually scared away the department store ladies, shooing them off and saying she'd help him herself. If he wasn't the one being forced to try on coats, he'd have found the entire thing amusing. And yet Zabuza said she was defenseless, ha!

"Uh, a bit tight-fitting?" He replied, taking it off before she handed him another one. He tried it on, answering that it fit fine. She looked him over and asked him politely to turn around, and he complied.

"Hmm. It l-looks good on y-you, Kisame-san." She said, her face lighting up. Kisame grunted nonchalantly.

"I guess, but it's expensive as hell." He muttered, looking at the price tag.

"O-oh, don't worry. I-i'll handle that." Hinata reassured, taking the coat off of him. Kisame stared at her.

"Uh...Please don't." He asked, scratching the back of his head. This was embarrassing and he really didn't want her to spend that much money on him. He still didn't see why he needed a coat.

"I'm n-not letting you o-out of my s-sight without a c-coat, Kisame-san." Hinata said firmly, looking him directly in the eyes. _Oh Jirachi she learned that from her dad, didn't she?_ Kisame thought, shifting in discomfort.

"...Can we at least look for a cheaper one?" He asked, and Hinata shook her head.

"No, th-this one looks n-nice." She repeated, and grabbed his hand and led him to the front of the store.

Kisame grumbled all the way there.

* * *

><p>Hinata crawled into bed after washing her feet, resting her back against the wall as she watched her Pokemon play with each other. She smiled softly, watching Poofeh float away from Pepper, who was snorting smoke out of his nostrils.<p>

Today had been good, for her second day as a Pokemon Trainer. It had been really scary at times, she admitted, but the good moments outweighed the bad ones. She loved battling with her Pokemon, and she loved seeing the sights of the towns she visited. Battling with Pokemon was the only thing she seemed to do with confidence.

Hinata was also honestly grateful for Kisame's presence. She didn't know if she could even successfully navigate to Striation City by herself, and he had allowed her to not get in to too much trouble while still letting her explore. She had been worried about Kisame when Neji had dragged her to the Pokemon Center, and she was concerned when she saw him alone in that alleyway. Most of all, she was grateful to him for saving her from those two men.

Hinata reached over and grabbed Mimi, holding the puppy Pokemon to her chest. She bit her lip, staring down at the small puppy, who stared back at her in confusion. She...didn't know what would have happened if he hadn't appeared, hopping down from above with ease, and landing in-between her and her two would-be attackers. She assumed they would have harmed her, or maybe stolen her Pokemon. Zabuza...Might have even killed her.

Hinata shuddered. Those two were so frightening, Hinata couldn't do anything when she encountered them.

"_Oh, look what we have here. A little rat." Zabuza rasped, his eyes narrowing as he spied Hinata. Hinata's blood froze, and she backed into the wall. Across the clearing were two very intimidating looking men. One, she knew from her father's books, was a professional mercenary. The other reminded her of Kisame, with his fearsome-looking skin and bright eyes._

"_What's that? Itachi's pet Hyuuga?" Kakuzu snorted, his eyes glittering as he saw her. "Ohhh, now I know why he chose you instead of the elder boy."_

"_Back off!" Kisame growled, as he landed in front of her. Hinata whimpered, grateful to see him. Or, at least she HOPED he was here to save her. If not...She was terrified at the thoughts of what could happen._

Hinata heard the water stop, and brought her knees up to her. She slowly petted Mimi's head, causing the puppy to yip in delight. A minute or two later, Kisame strode out, and glanced over at her.

"You alright?" He asked gruffly as he walked across the room, landing on the couch.

"Yes. Th-thank you for s-saving me earlier, K-kisame-san." Kisame inwardly grimaced. No wonder she was out of it. She was thinking about those two. Kisame grunted nonchalantly, before spying the floating cotton-ball.

"That your present?" Kisame asked, flicking on the television and switching over to the weather channel. Looked like there wasn't going to be snow for another week, which made a nice hope for decent travel.

"Poo-poofeh?" She asked, hesitantly. Kisame stared at her in disbelief. Hinata was unsure how to interpret the expression he was using.

"Please tell me you didn't name it that."

"O-oh. N-no, Neji-ni named her th-that." Hinata said, shaking her head as her face became a rosy pink color. "I wouldn't n-name one of my Pokemon l-like that."

"Thank Jirachi. If you did, I would have to kill them out of pity for them." Kisame said, his facial expressions quickly turning into one of relief. Hinata giggled.

"Neji-ni was n-never very cr-creative when it c-came to naming." Hinata informed. "H-he hasn't named a-any Pokemon since h-he was a kid."

"Thank Jirachi." Kisame repeated. There was a comfortable silence for a while, the mood much brighter in the room. "By the way, what're you going to name your Munna?" Kisame finally asked, as he climbed up to the top bunk.

"Y-yumeko." Hinata replied, getting herself settled under the covers. Kisame groaned, and Hinata could hear him smacking his face with his palm.

"...Well, I suppose it's better than Poofeh." Came the muffled reply. Hinata giggled, and started to try to go to sleep.

"Good night, Kisame-san."

"G'night." A few minutes later, she heard him speak again. "If your Munna is dead in the morning, I didn't do it."

"D-don't you d-dare, Kisame-san!"

* * *

><p><em>This chapter was fun to write. XD Hinata got kind of bold-ish near the end of the chapter, which is kind of my fault. I managed to fix most of their OOC-ness, but I really didn't want to change the coat scene at all. And hah, it all started because Hinata needed to shave. Kisame should've offered to shave her legs for her. :P<em>

_I also started to work on more of Akatsuki's info. It's pretty fun to come up with mini back stories for them. XD My favorites happen to be Zetsu and Tobi's. Oh, next chapter will have more plot. Hinata's first Gym battle, awwyeah. I've been outlining a few chapters, too, so I know what I want in the next few chapters. More Akatsuki. ;D_

_I've decided to update this every Friday, which can be both good and bad. It means more editing time (yay), but I have to resist the urge to shove all the chapters up at once, which is harder than you'd think. And I keep forgetting to take my flash-drive with me to places, so...I get the urge to write, and then I can't. Sadface._

_By the way, college is really fun. It takes some work, but I really enjoy it. Though, the lady at the bookstore gave me the wrong textbook for my online class...-sigh-_

_Anywho, leave a review please~_


	4. Battles with Consequences, Hinatachan!

**Sharks in Sunny Places**

_College. It feels just like high school. It just costs money and people are more mature._

_I finished watching Puella Magi Madoka Magicka (or however you arrange __its title, I'm so confused by this point...) and I have to say, I'm sorry if this fanfic turns into a BreakTheCutie. I'm unfortunately quite fond of the trope, and as I was looking over my outlines I have to say I'm quite horrified for what all I have plan__ned for poor little Hinata-chan._

_In that regard, I don't know if I'll be bumping the rating up to M or not, it just depends on if I think it gets to be too much to be still rated T. Keep in mind, I've already said Zetsu would be making an appearance. He's __going to be doing his Zetsu thing._

_I kind of want this to turn into a BreakTheCutie, just to amuse my morbid self, but I'd also like to...y'know...Keep Hinata's sanity in tact. And some of the things I have planned aren't really all that...sanity-preservin__g. So I might turn this into two separate fanfics altogether. I don't know._

_Writing this chapter, or at least the first portion of it, caused quite a lot of DERPing on my end. I had written the first part, but the I scene changed and went to school. At sch__ool I'd written down that Kiba was suppose to battle CHILE, meaning I had to rewrite an entire scene after I had just finished the first part of the battle against Chile's Lillipup. I feel special._

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon or Naruto. Boo.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter F<strong>**our:** Gym Battles and Consequences

* * *

><p>Hinata Hyuuga was quite confused when she saw Kiba and Shino at the Striation City gym. She thought she remembered them saying they got the gym badge yesterday. As a result, they had adequate time to spot her as she was scanning her memory.<p>

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" Kiba called, shaking Hinata out of her thoughts. Hinata smiled, deciding it didn't matter, and went over to join her friends. Kiba was brimming with excitement, eagerly talking about his strategies to use on the gym leader, when a green-haired man stepped out of the gym.

"Ah. I thought I'd heard people talking outside. Hello, I am Cilan." He greeted warmly. "You are here to take the gym challenge, am I correct?"

"Yeah! Of course we are!" Kiba said, nodding. Cilan smiled, and motioned them inside.

"Ah, by the way, what Pokemon did each of you start out with?" Cilan asked, if it was an after-thought.

"I started with Oshawott, Shino-san started with Snivy, and Hinata-chan started with Tepig." Kiba informed eagerly as he stepped into the gym, and Hinata saw Shino twitch. Kiba then realized what he had done and facepalmed. "Stupid, stupid, stupid..." He muttered to himself. Hinata wondered what was going on between the two, her head cocked to the side in confusion.

"Kiba…We had a plan." Shino muttered irritably. Kiba froze as he recognized Shino's tone as a bad one, and turned to face Shino. A nervous grin flitted across his face.

"Uhm…Oops?" Kiba apologized nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

Shino sighed. "This will be more challenging. That's better for us as Trainers."

Hinata looked around the gym a they talked, noticing that Cilan had vanished. Next to the door was a counter-top with a young lady behind it, dressed in a waitress's outfit. She was smiling at the trio, and motioned for Hinata to look at the rest of the gym. It was a large and spacious-feeling building, large ceilings and walls made out of what looked to be wood; Curtains near the back wall had an elemental symbol printed on it. The floor on the room ahead had three elemental symbols on the ground, and they looked like switches.

It was a puzzle, Hinata decided. Not a very complicated one, but a puzzle nonetheless. The waitress, who had been watching Hinata piece it together, clapped her hands together three times. The trio turned to look at the waitress. "Hello~! Welcome to our Café! To reach the main course, you'll have to find the appetizers! Good luck, dearies." She smiled, and shooed them onwards.

And so the three novice Trainers began their very first Gym Challenge.

* * *

><p>"So you've made it to the main course." The opposing trio said in unison. Hinata warily looked at her cell's opponents. The trio all looked remarkably similar, so much so that she would assume that they were fraternal triplets if not for their varying hair and eyes' colors. They all even wore the exact same butler suit.<p>

In the middle stood Cilan, posing in the exact same manor as his brothers. To his left was an energetic redhead, who Hinata assumed was Chile. His eyes unnerved her, and she was glad he wasn't her opponent. To the right of Cilan was who she assumed to be Cress. Immediately, she was reminded of Kisame's blue hair, as they were almost exactly the same shade. Cress seemed calmer and more composed than both of his brothers.

Cilan stepped forward, and the cell's attentions turned toward him. "Now, I shall introduce your opponents."

"Kiba Inuzuka will be having the Cilan Sage Course, with a side of Lillipup."

"Hinata Hyuuga will delight in Cress's signature Pan-porridge and Puppychow."

"And last but not least, Shino Aburame will face the heat of Chile's Super-Searing Spice Smash, with a relief of Lillipup."

"And now we will determine who dines first!" The opposing trio formed a close circle, and the Trainers watched in wonder. Was there some method that they used to determine who goes first? A sense of anticipation creeped into Hinata, while Kiba was noisily muttering a mantra of "Me first, me first, me first..." to himself.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" The gym leaders cried in unison.

…

"It's a draw." Came the unison announcement.

"Again, again!" Chile urged, looking impatient.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

…

"It's a draw."

"Gah!" Chile growled, a scowl settling onto his face. "I'll just go first!"

Cress looked disappointed, but Cilan stopped Chile. "I saw them first. Therefore, I have the right of the first battle." Cilan said, smiling. Chile stopped walking towards the leader's box, and scowled at Cilan.

"You say that _every time_, Cilan!" Chile whined, causing Cilan to smile bigger and brighter.

"Of course I do. It's because I'm the only one who ever goes outside to get fresh air." Chile promptly started to pout, before grabbing Shino's arm and dragging him to a table.

"Fine, but I call second match!" Chile exclaimed, scowling at his brother. Cilan gave an apologetic look towards Cress, who merely shrugged in disappointment.

"YES!" Kiba whooped, jumping into the air in excitement. "I go first, all right!"

"Shino Aburame battles second, meaning Hinata Hyuuga battles last." Cilan said simply, and smiled at his opponent.

"YOSH! Let's get this battle started!" Kiba exclaimed, a feral grin planted firmly on his face. Cilan smirked in response.

"I couldn't agree more. But can you handle the seasoning?" Cilan taunted good-naturedly as the two moved to their respective positions on the Battle Café's floor. Hinata moved out of the way, following Cress to a table. She sat down, and prepared to watch her best friend's first gym match.

Kiba snorted arrogantly. "Of course I can! Send out your first Pokemon, and I'll match it in strength!"

"Very well then, let the meal begin. Go, Spicebread!" Cilan cried, and tossed a Pokeball out onto the field. The ball opened mid-air, and the red light quickly formed the shape of a Lillipup.

"Heh. That all you got?" Kiba sneered, and grabbed Akamaru's Pokeball and tossed it out. "Let's see how you can handle Akamaru!"

Akamaru's shape quickly appeared on the floor, and the two Lillipup immediately began growling at each other. "Oh? A Lillipup? Well, it does look rather well-seasoned. Your move is first, since you're the challenger."

Kiba smirked, and as soon as Cilan was done speaking he had finished barking out his commands. "Akamaru! Tackle, then Bite!"

Akamaru sped towards the opposing Lillipup, and Hinata was surprised by his speed. The puppy had crossed the length between them and had fiercely tackled Spicebread before Cilan could even command him to dodge. Akamaru firmly bit onto the Lillipup, and Spicebread yipped loudly before kicking the opposing puppy off of him.

"Return the Bite in kind!" Cilan ordered, and Kiba grinned fiercely.

"Just as planned, Akamaru!" He directed confidently, and Akamaru easily dodged Spicebread's oncoming Bite by rolling to the side. He ran over to the other side of the field, leaving Spicebread and Cilan in confusion, and then turned right around and charged directly at Spicebread.

Cilan hastily warned Spicebread to dodge, but the shock at Akamaru's speed rushing towards him in a Tackle meant that the puppy Pokemon was knocked out in quick order. Kiba grinned confidently as Akamaru strode over to his side, and Cilan returned Spicebread.

Cilan smiled over at Kiba, taking out his next Pokeball. "It seems I was correct, your Lillipup _is_ very well-seasoned."

"Can you please stop saying that?" Kiba deadpanned. "It makes you sound like you intend to eat him." Cilan laughed openly at that, before sending out his next Pokemon.

"Brussel, use Vine Whip!" Cilan commanded, before his Pokemon had even fully materialized. The Pokemon, who appeared to be a Pansage, quickly sent out vines to attack the puppy Pokemon.

"Dodge, then head straight for it in a Tackle!" Kiba instructed. However, Akamaru wasn't nearly fast enough to dodge the vines, and they slapped the puppy harshly. Welts began to rise up underneath the puppy's fur, and Akamaru growled in irritant tones.

Akamaru began snapping his teeth at the vines when they started to approach him, and pierced through the vines with his teeth, causing Brussel to stop his attack. Brussel withdrew his vines, looking at them worriedly before glaring at Akamaru.

The two of them stood apart, glaring each other down. They both seemed to be waiting for the other to make a move, and Cilan and Kiba watched in silence. The stare-down continued for what felt like minutes, and Hinata bit her lip nervously. What would happen next…?

Then, suddenly, there was movement as Akamaru charged towards Brussel in an all-out Tackle. Brussel waited until Akamaru was close enough, then swiftly dodged. As Akamaru whirled around, Brussel slammed into the puppy with a Tackle of its own. Akamaru was throw back, skidding against the floor, and finally slumped down in defeat.

"Akamaru!" Kiba cried, worry and fury evident in his voice. He quickly recalled Akamaru, giving quiet praise to his friend as he did so. Cilan smiled as he watched Kiba take out his next Pokeball. Kiba glared at Cilan, tossing his Pokeball into the air with an aggressive cry of, "Go, Aoi!"

The Oshawott landed on the ground simply, a determined look in its eye. "C'mon, girl, let's get it started with a Tackle!"

Aoi waddled towards the Pansage with a surprising amount of force, and would have charged directly into Brussel had Cilan not ordered him to halt Aoi. Vines slithered out of the Pansage as Aoi approached, causing the Oshawott to hastily jump over the vines. However, now she was in a freefall, and the only thing that she could do now was land. And the landing target was obvious.

Brussel tried to redirect his vines, but they weren't fast enough to catch Aoi's fall. Aoi's large head slammed right into Brussel's forehead, and the impact could be heard throughout the gym. Aoi slid down off of Brussel, clutching her head as Brussel did the same.

"Off guard!" Came Kiba's cry, and Aoi quickly snapped back on guard. "Tackle, go!" Brussel, who was still trying to recover from the headbutt, didn't even have time to pull his paws away from his face as Aoi slammed into the small monkey's stomach. The monkey landed on his back, swirls in his eyes, as Aoi put her hands on her hips and gave a smug look at her defeated opponent.

Cilan simply smiled and returned his Pokemon, while Kiba stared at the scene. It took a few seconds for the victory to chime in, but once it did he was yipping joyously. A smile graced Hinata's lips, Kiba's joy infectious. She was happy and proud that her friend had won his first gym badge. The elation of the moment even reached Shino, who was also smiling, although not to the degree of Kiba or Hinata's.

The happy moment was quickly ended by Chile's chair scraping against the floor. An eager smirk was on his lips, and he glanced over at Shino. Fire danced in his eyes, and it met Shino's cool determination. Sparks flew as they sized each other up.

"Will you give me a heated battle like that one?" Chile asked, and Shino shrugged nonchalantly.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" He replied, a smirk flitting over his normally neutral face.

Cilan sighed, and waved Kiba to a table. Kiba gave a quick thumbs up at Shino, who nodded in acknowledgement. It was time for Shino's battle. The scraping of Shino's chair followed as he stood up. Chile quickly bounded over to where Cilan had stood the previous match, while Shino calmly walked over to the challenger's position.

Shino and Chile faced each other, Shino's calm opposing Chile's eagerness. "You'd better give me a good battle, Aburame!"

Shino let a smirk flit over his face, and sent out Ivy in response. "Ooo, the strong, silent type, I see."

"Yes, I suppose you could call me that." Shino acknowledged, before pretending to take a double-look at Chile. "I suppose you're the loud, energetic, battle-loving type. This will be just like battling Kiba."

Kiba snorted from the sidelines, aiming a mock-glare at Shino. Hinata giggled. Chile's face grew frustrated and irritated. "Like you could compare me to a side-dish like that! I bring the heat on in any situation!"

Now Kiba was actually hoping Shino would wipe the floor with this guy in a humiliating defeat.

"Go, Maximus!" Came Chile's cry as he sent out his first Pokemon, a peppy-looking Lillipup. "You first, Aburame-san." Chile said, the fierce energy in his eyes contradicting the calm expression he put on.

"Ivy, use Vine Whip please." Shino asked, sticking his hands in his pockets. The Snivy's vines sneaked out of her neck slowly, and Maximus's eyes were locked onto their movements.

Suddenly, the vines snapped forward, and wrapped around the puppy's small form. Maximus yipped in surprise. The vines lifted the Lillipup off the ground, and he began struggling in vain against them. Once Maximus was high enough, Ivy slammed him against the ground in a shocking amount of speed. Chile watched in shock. Ivy picked up the Lillipup with her vines, and threw him in Chile's general direction.

Chile quickly rushed to see if Maximus was alright. He was slowly but steadily pulling himself to his feet, and the puppy looked very tired. But he was still able to fight, and he growled at Ivy with eagerness.

Ivy merely crossed her arms and looked smug. Her vines, while mostly withdrawn, still hovered in the air around her body. Chile assessed the situation, and returned Maximus.

"Maximus has withdrawn from this match." Chile announced, barely keeping his voice even as he glared at Shino and Ivy. He returned Maximus into the safety of his Pokeball, and placed it on his belt. "I hope you can handle the main dish, Aburame-san." Chile taunted. Shino merely stared back calmly.

"Ginger, prepare for battle!"

Hinata's eyes narrowed. Now it was time for the real battle between Chile and Shino. While Hinata was a bit worried at Shino's...extreme tactic to remove Maximus from the match as soon as possible, she could understand why he did so.

Shino had no Pokemon that would have an advantage over Fire-types. He didn't even have one that would take normal damage from a Fire-type. If he didn't take out Pokemon fast enough, a Fire-type would wreck the entire battle for him.

And Chile's next Pokemon was a Fire-type.

Shino was in trouble.

The Pansear gazed lazily across the field, and snorted when he saw his opponent. A Snivy wouldn't be much of a threat. He had faced them and won over them before.

"Vine Whip."

He didn't even have time to respond. The vines were wrapped around him, lifting him into the air.

"Oh no, not THIS again." Chile sneered. "Ginger, Incinerate!" Shino smirked. All according to plan.

Ivy's vines were burnt, and she quickly jerked them away from the Fire-type Pokemon. But as she did that, she also let go of him. Now, the monkey was falling towards the wooden floor. And there wasn't much it could do about gravity.

"Tackle."

Ivy dashed towards Ginger, the Pansear hitting the ground mere seconds before Ivy slammed into it. The monkey was thrown several feet, before landing on his feet. It snorted angrily, before lobbing a ball of fire at the Grass-type from its mouth.

Ivy jumped to the side, dodging the fireball somewhat awkwardly.

"Tackle." Shino commanded again, and Ivy nodded before charging.

"Incinerate it before it gets to you!" Chile cried out, and Ginger aimed another fireball at the moving target. Ivy didn't manage to dodge it completely this time, the fireball singeing her tail. But it wasn't enough to stop her.

Ivy slammed into the monkey, who skidded against the floor as he tried to resist the snake's movement. Once they stopped, the two stood together. Chile and Shino both watched on, anticipation sinking into them.

Ginger fell back, swirls in his eyes.

Shino's lips twitched upwards. Kiba whooped in excitement. Hinata smiled brightly. Chile glowered. Cilan smiled, a hint of concern in his eyes as he looked over at Chile. Cress watched as Chile reluctantly handed his badge over to Shino, before standing up and holding his hand out for Hinata.

Surprised, Hinata stared at it for a second before accepting it. She smiled warmly at Cress as she did so. "Good luck, Cress-sama." Cress merely blinked.

"You too, Hyuuga-san." The two walked over to their respective spots. Hinata stared at Cress, trying to read him. She found it difficult. So she watched him, waiting for him to make the first move, her hand unconsciously coming to her mouth in a thoughtful pose.

The stare-down continued until Shino and Chile sat down. Then, Cress took out a Pokeball and wordlessly pressed the button. A Panpour appeared.

Hinata realized her advantage, and sent out Poofeh. She had a type-advantage right off the bat. Even if she couldn't read her opponent, she could win for sure like this.

"Poofeh, use Leech Seed!" Hinata said as soon as the Pokemon had finished materializing. The cotton Pokemon chucked seeds at the Panpour, who attempted to dodge them. The majority of the seeds missed, but one hit its mark.

"A Cottonee?" Cress asked aloud, and Hinata nodded. "An interesting choice, but it won't mean you'll win. Water Gun!"

The Panpour quickly inhaled and aimed at the cottonweed, and a blast of water slammed into Poofeh. "Oh no! Poofeh, get out of the stream!" Hinata rushed, watching as Poofeh did so. "Use Absorb, quick!"

Green balls of energy came off of the Panpour, restoring Poofeh's energy and recovering its mild wounds. Panpour, while winded, wasn't close to being knocked out just yet. But energy still flowed out of the monkey, due to Leech Seed taking effect.

"Get in close, and then try to paralyze it with a Lick!" Cress ordered, and the monkey rushed towards Poofeh.

"Float and keep away from it for as long as possible, Poofeh!" Hinata ordered, both arms in front of her. Hinata was almost nibbling at her fingers. While she knew she had the advantage, she couldn't help but feel that something...was going to go wrong. "Use Absorb!"

Everytime the Panpour got close to Poofeh, she would float out of the way. Every so often, she was take energy from the monkey. Eventually, Panpour got sick of never reaching its goal. He blasted a water jet at the floating Pokemon, soaking it and knocking it to the ground. Hinata bit her lip. She didn't know what to do.

"Charge in, paralyze it while its grounded!" Cress ordered, and Panpour rushed in, giving the cottonweed a gross lick that it couldn't avoid due to its now slowed-down self. Getting hit with water once wasn't much of a deal. Getting hit with it twice added a bit too much weight to easily float around on.

"Absorb!" Hinata ordered hesitantly , but Poofeh couldn't move. She was paralyzed. However, that didn't mean she couldn't draw on Poofeh's Leech Seed. The Panpour, now in close proximity, didn't realize that the drainage would be that much easier and quicker.

Panpour fainted. Cress withdrew him silently, and sent out his Lillipup. Hinata bit her lip, not sure what to do with Poofeh. She was almost about to recall her, when Cress ordered his next attack.

"Bite!" Hinata watched in horror as the majority of Poofeh's head was inside of the puppy's mouth, a crunch resonating throughout the entire room. Hinata quickly withdrew Poofeh without even waiting to see if it had fainted.

From the sidelines, Shino stared at Cress, analyzing him. Was this...What he thought it was? He didn't have time to dwell on that thought, as Hinata summoned Pepper.

Hinata looked angry. Fierce. Determined. It was...shocking to see the normally loving and timid Hyuuga girl have such emotions bubble up inside of her. Shino only ever recalled Hinata being angry once, and even then she hadn't done anything against the person who had made her feel that way.

Shino was worried.

"Pepper! Ember, then Tackle!" Hinata called out quickly, and her Tepig rushed to follow her orders. The small pig breathed fire at the puppy, halting its flame-breathe mere seconds before it slammed into the puppy.

"Okay!" Hinata cheered, before commanding her next move. "Now, hit it with another Ember!" She pointed at the Lillipup, one arm still shielding her even in her righteous fury.

The Lillipup didn't manage to dodge out of the way of the second Ember, and was left with a burn. But Cress knew his Pokemon could keep fighting, and quickly told his Pokemon to bite the piglette.

The puppy bite the pig's neck, ducking under the flames. Its teeth clenched down harshly as the pig struggled to get away. The pig cried out nervously, kicking at the puppy.

"Ember!" Hinata cried out. The pig jerked his snout to the puppy's body, and breathed scorching-hot flames onto its back. The puppy tried to hold on for a few seconds, its teeth sinking down into Pepper's neck, but eventually it slumped down.

Hinata had won. It may not have been the most agreeable battle, or the most honorable battle, but she had won. Hinata smiled at the thought, before Pepper's slumping down caused it to be quickly washed away. She ran over to her Pokemon, checking his wounds. The teeth marks were deep. She recalled Pepper, worried that his condition might worsen.

She stood up, looking over at Cress. She was confused by him. She hadn't expected the swiftness of his attacks, nor the extremity of the conditions. She suddenly realized, if he had more Pokemon he would've easily wiped the floor with her.

"G-good match, Cr-cress-sama." Hinata said, smiling up at him shakily. He shrugged nonchalantly, his returning his Pokeball to his belt.

Cilan stood up, and all eyes turned to him. Concern and nervousness were evident in his eyes, but he masked them with a half-smile. "Now...I congratulate you all on your victories." Cilan started, and motioned for the Trainers to make a line. Kiba was first, Shino was second, and Hinata was third.

It was in this order that Hinata, Shino, and Kiba all received their first TM, as well as a Gym badge. They also received a piece of paper, saying that they were now eligible to receive a C-Gear and to use the Entralink. During the whole process, Hinata couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something more to this battle than the three knew.

She'd find out later. Right now, she had to heal her Pokemon.

* * *

><p>The Pokemon Center was relatively quiet. While Kiba was generally a loud speaker, he was now speaking in hushed tones to Shino. About what, Hinata didn't know. All she could do was worry about her Pokemon.<p>

Nurse Joy had said her Cottonee was in critical condition. That it might die. That she was lucky she had returned it so fast. That she was lucky it hadn't been worse.

Hinata hadn't gotten enough time to talk to Nurse Joy before she rushed off into the emergency room. She didn't even know what was wrong with her Cottonee, even though her mind was certainly showing her all sorts of horrific ideas.

Hinata shivered, and pulled her coat around her tighter.

* * *

><p>In an effort to cheer her up, Kiba and Shino had taken her to a local Pokemon Daycare. It was right outside Striation City, sitting right on the start of Route 3.<p>

The Daycare was run by an elderly couple who were well-known for their ability to care for Pokemon. They even let the Pokemon venture over next door to the Preschool next door, to amuse the children.

It was quite an adorable sight, seeing the little ones play with cutesy Pokemon. It would've certainly cheered Hinata up, if not for one little problem.

The first Pokemon they'd seen had been a Cottonee.

* * *

><p>Hinata was back in the Pokemon Center, looking at her Town Map. She had marked down all sorts of interesting things and locations along the map. The Daycare was circled in red. The Dream Yard was circled in blue. The Pokemon gym and the Center were circled in black.<p>

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kiba and Kisame chatting.

She quickly decided where she wanted to go next. Wellspring Cave. She grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and confidently strode outside the Pokemon Center. The sun was bright and cheery, fitting for the time of day. Not as fitting for her mood.

Kisame and Kiba watched her leave, concerned. Kiba had told Kisame what had happened, and the two were both sympathizing with her. But they didn't know how to fix her, so they just left her alone. They hoped for the best.

Hinata strode passed the buildings, trying to keep her head clear. All she wanted to do was continue. No turning back. Keep your head focused on your current task. The noise of the city dulled, becoming unimportant as Hinata's tunnel vision led her out of the city.

The garden next to Striation City was very pleasant, she decided. The shapes made out of the topiary were very cute, and the streams surrounding the center made it all seem very pleasing. It uplifted her mood a bit, for which she was grateful.

She'd have to come back to fully enjoy it another day, she decided.

She walked onwards, reaching the fork in the road. One way went to the Daycares, the other went to Route 3. Hinata went on the path that led to Route 3.

She walked slowly, each step an exact measurement. She took in the sights and sounds of the new Route. She could hear the chirps of Pidove, the occasion cry of a Purrloin. It was surprisingly relaxing, and Hinata found herself smiling. She had always loved the outdoors.

Hinata took out a map and a pen, quickly circling the garden in blue. She checked the distance from the Daycare to the cave. It was a surprisingly short amount. A thirty minute walk, at most. She picked up her pace, humming a little tune to herself.

She didn't feel like she should be happy, but she just couldn't help herself.

* * *

><p>She timidly stepped into the cave, using the side of the opening to brace herself as she went through the awkward opening. The cool cave air hit her face as she cautiously stepped into the cave.<p>

She didn't know what to think of the sight she saw before her. The cave was dank and dark, lit with odd light-fixtures that were hung to indentures in the walls. There was water dripping from somewhere, a light plip-plop sound hitting her ears every few seconds. Hinata could make out some of the terrain ahead of her. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, eagerness and nervousness clashing.

She pursed her lips, strengthening her determination, and stepped forward with purpose. She had come to explore, to see the cave, to see the Pokemon that resided in it. She would continue on.

She walked on, noticing the Woobats on the roof of the cave. She noticed the rocks, which weren't actually rocks. She noticed the large underground lake that shimmered with something underneath it. Quietly, she stepped to the water's edge, looking over the lake in awe. It was beautiful, the emerald hue from inside the deeps lighting up this portion of the cave.

Time seemed to freeze as she gazed at the lake. She just wanted to stare at the lake, an odd tugging feeling in her heart. She felt like taking off her boots, rolling up her pants, and putting her feet in the water. She felt like staying here forever, in the ebb and flow of the emerald green light. A sense of peace permeated her being, and something told her to st-

"Hey! Be careful!" Came a female's voice, shocking Hinata out of her trance. She turned to where she thought she heard the voice come from, and saw a woman looking at her. She was only twenty feet away, a concerned look in her blue eyes.

Hinata blinked, trying to re-orientate herself. After a few tries, her head cleared up completely. In that timeframe, the woman had approached her. She was right in front of Hinata now, causing her to jump back. The woman smiled slightly, chuckling a bit. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya."

"I-it's okay." Hinata said shakily, pulling her arms up to her as she looked at the woman in front of her. She looked extremely familiar, but she couldn't place why. She had dark brown hair that framed her pale face, pulled into a large ponytail and covered with a black and white Trainer's hat. A white coat was zipped closed, reaching barely down to her beltline, Pokeballs fastened to it carefully. Jean short-shorts covered very little, with white thigh-high socks covering the rest of her legs, held up with lace. Brown hiker's boots went up to her shins. Suddenly, it dawned on her who this was.

"I'm Kitai Touko, from Nuvema Town! You're Hinata Hyuuga, am I right?" She asked, and Hinata was surprised by her forwardness and her knowledge.

"Y-yes. T-touko-sama, what are you d-doing here?" Hinata asked, placing her hand to her mouth. Touko smiled brightly at her, amused to see she was still the same as ever.

"Not much, Hyuuga-sama. Completing the Pokedex for Juniper-sensei. I need to finish gathering data on only about twenty or thirty more species, and then the Unova dex will be full of information for future Trainers." Kitai explained eagerly. Hinata smiled politely at the woman. Ah, yes, that's where she'd heard of this woman. Juniper-sensei's school and lab. Kitai Touko was a veteran Trainer who'd spent the last thirteen years of her life catching and training Pokemon in the Unova region. She was famous for providing most of the information on Pokemon in the Pokedex.

She was one of Nuvema's finest. And Juniper-sensei never hesitated to inspire upcoming young female Trainers to be just like her. A lot of her family had not-so-discretely stated that they wished she was the heir to the clan. So, it was without a doubt that Hinata had a small inkling of dislike and envy towards the girl.

"O-oh. Th-thank you for a-all your hard w-work, Touko-sama." Hinata said, while trying to secretly judge how far it was to the exit. Kitai smiled broadly at the younger woman.

"Oh, by the way, when did you start you journey?" She asked, as if it was an afterthought. She put one hand on her hip and ran her hand through her ponytail, her smile remaining a constant on her face. Hinata suddenly felt very awkward next to this woman.

"O-only a few d-days ago." She answered. She suddenly felt a bit foolish. She hadn't even been on her journey a week, her journey had just begun. And yet here she was, casually talking to a veteran Trainer while looking for an escape route. Even her gym badge was nothing compared to this woman.

"Hmm?" Kitai murmured, glancing Hinata up and down. She peered at the younger Trainer, a perplexed look on her face. "Well then, Hyuuga-sama, I have a favor to ask of you. Well, two, actually."

"O-oh?" Hinata cursed her luck. She really didn't want to do much for this woman. Which made her feel quite bad, actually. She'd always thought of herself as a girl always wanting to help others, and yet she didn't want to help this woman. Her good mood was now quite soured.

"Yeah! I'd like for you to help me evolve my Boldore! And I'd like to battle you." The shocked look on Hinata's face was quite amusing to Kitai.

"Wh-what? B-battle you?" Hinata exclaimed, her voice echoing throughout the cave. Kitai merely smiled and nodded. She let the information sink in for a minute or two, and then grabbed Hinata's arm and promptly started to drag her back to Striation City.

* * *

><p>It was about three in the afternoon when the battle started. Hinata had reluctantly agreed to Kitai's battle, despite all of her protests. Kitai was going to use three of any low-leveled Pokemon she had, and Hinata would use her Pokemon.<p>

Hinata really didn't want to battle. Kitai really did want to battle. It was with these mentalities that the battle started.

"Ferroseed! Go!" Kitai called out, spinning stylishly as she tossed her Pokeball into the air. Red light poured out of the open Pokeball, forming the shape of a mostly gray Pokemon with many green thorns sticking out of its skin. Hinata blinked, slightly put-off by the strange looking Pokemon, before sending out her own Pokemon.

"Pepper! Use Ember!" Hinata called out firmly. The small pig let out a battlecry, before charging towards the spiney Pokemon. As he ran, he opened his mouth and blew out several decent-sized fireballs towards his opponent.

Hinata quickly realized that Ferroseed were extremely slow. And that they had a double weakness to Fire-types. The Pokemon looked like it was barely standing after just that starting attack.

"Tch. Return!" Kitai muttered, looking kind irritated. "Well, that was a good start, Hyuuga-sama."

"Th-thank you, Touko-sama." Hinata chirped. Hinata felt a rush of confidence surge inside of her. She...might just be able to battle. She might just be able to win this.

"Hmp. But can you take this? Go, Litwick!" Kitai said, confidence booming through her voice. An adorable Pokemon formed from the light. It was a small candle-shaped Pokemon. Hinata had to resist the urge to coo and squish it in a giant hug.

"Pepper, use Ember!" Hinata commanded, but she was shocked when the candle just absorbed Pepper's fire attack. The fire just melded into the Pokemon, and the purple flame at the top of the candle just grew bigger. The reason for Kitai's confidence was now evident.

"Fire-spin!" Kitai called out, a smirk on her face. It really didn't suit her, Hinata decided as she thought of a way to counter the candle. She had known it was a Fire and Ghost-type Pokemon, and knew a Tackle wouldn't work on it, but she hadn't expected Ember to fail her.

"Dodge it, quick!" Hinata ordered, her mind racing as she looked for a viable tactic to use. And then it hit her. Odor Sleuth. "Fill up the area with an Odor Sleuth, then hit it with a Tackle!"

Pepper dodged out of the way of the numerous Fire-spins that Litwick was sending at him, and started to send out a gas from its mouth. The gas was a light-gray color, and it was only barely opaque. And it would let Normal and Fighting-type attacks hit Ghost-type Pokemon. Pepper charged at the candle, and slammed into it repeatedly.

The Pokemon let out an odd cry, and started to release a purple gas from its mouth. Suddenly, Pepper was choking on the gas, and was backpedaling away from it. Hinata's brows knit together in confusion, before she noticed the purple hue that Pepper's skin had taken. _Poison gas_.

Panicked, Hinata quickly withdrew her Pokemon. Kitai looked at her in confusion, but didn't question her as Hinata reached for another Pokeball on her belt.

"Mimi, let's go!" Hinata called out, biting her lip as the puppy formed. She felt quite light-headed as she looked at the Lillipup, before firming herself and blocking out the feelings ruthlessly. "Tackle the Litwick, then Bite it!"

Kitai swore as she realized that would knock out her Litwick, hastily ordering a Fire-spin. The smell of singed fur filled the air, but Mimi jumped out of the inferno, intent on taking out the candle. The flaming tornado followed after the puppy, who slammed herself into the candle. The candle made its odd cry, starting to let out purple gas again, before Mimi bit down on the side of the Litwick's body. The candle-shaped Pokemon shrieked noisily, before fainting.

Surprisingly, Kitai smirked as she recalled her Litwick. Hinata was inwardly cheering for herself and her Pokemon, but seeing her smirk like that put her on edge.

"Go, Sawk!" The light formed a blue-skinned Pokemon, clad in a karate outfit. Hinata felt all of her confidence go out of the window. Sawk was one of Kitai's most well-known Pokemon, and it was one of her strongest. What was this...? Kitai smirked at Hinata's fallen face. "Oh, don't worry Hyuuga-sama. It's not my Bluebelt. It's just Bluebelt and Lolita's offspring. But that doesn't mean you have a chance. Sawk, Doublekick!"

Sawk zoomed towards Mimi, its speed staggering. It kicked the poor puppy into the air, and appeared above it suddenly, before kicking it back into the ground. Hinata gasped, her hands flying up to her face as she saw her Lillipup get slammed into the ground. It was obvious that Mimi wasn't conscious anymore, and Hinata clumsily picked up her Pokeball, her hands shaking as she returned her puppy.

"T-touko-sama...C-can I f-forfeit?" Hinata asked, her entire body shaking like a leaf. Kitai smirked.

"No." She replied simply. "Send out your next Pokemon."

Shocked, Hinata fumbled for her next Pokeball. She knew Yumeko had a type advantage, but against a Pokemon like that? She honestly didn't want to continue, but she didn't know how Kitai would react if she suddenly fled. Probably not in a good way.

"Yu-yumeko...Do your b-best!" She mumbled, barely managing to hit the button on the ball. The Pokemon barely had time to form, before Kitai was ordering Sawk to attack.

Hinata slumped down to her knees as Yumeko was defeated almost instantly.

She felt like such a failure.

* * *

><p>After that, Kitai had forced her to trade her Lillipup for her Boldore for a few minutes, so that it could evolve. Then they traded back, and Kitai left her with some meaningless words of encouragement and wishes to see each other again.<p>

Hinata just wanted to crawl up into a ball and sob the day away. She didn't understand what had gone so wrong, when the day had started out so well...Now, Mimi was looking at her with distrust, Yumeko was battered and sad-looking, and Pepper kept giving her concerned looks.

She returned them all, and went to talk to Nurse Joy about Poofeh.

She wished she hadn't.

How would she face Neji-ni? He had given her such a useful Pokemon, such a cute Pokemon, such an amazing friend...And she had...She had...

She had left the Center, fleeing from a concerned looking Nurse Joy, with tears streaming down her face.

* * *

><p>Kisame found her an hour later, sitting on a bench all alone. A C-gear menu was displayed on her Xtransceiver. Her Trainer card was firmly clenched in her hand, her gaze locked on it. Kisame sat down next to her, letting the silence remain as he thought of something to say.<p>

A sniffle from her broke the silence, and Kisame filled with dread. _Oh Jirachi, please don't let her cry. I can't deal with that._

A minute passed, and she didn't start crying. Kisame awkwardly patted her head. Hinata turned to look at him, her lavender eyes filled with distraught. She sniffled again.

"You okay?" He asked gruffly, and kicked himself mentally. She obviously wasn't okay, but he wasn't good at this whole "comforting people" thing.

"N-not r-really." She said, in a voice so quiet Kisame didn't register that she'd said something until a full five seconds later.

"Ah." Kisame said simply. _Master of words, that I am._ Kisame grumbled mentally. "Kiba-san told me what happened." He stared at her, trying to judge her react. There wasn't much of one.

"I f-figured h-he w-would." Hinata said, sighing and looking at her now-clenched hands. Kisame could see them shaking.

" 'M sorry, Hinata-chan." Hinata blinked, and looked up at Kisame again. The surprise was written all over her face. His mouth was set in a grim line, and he looked like he had tasted something awful. "Usually...Trainers don't lose a Pokemon this soon. Usually it's been at least five years or so."

A tremor ran through Hinata's small form, and Kisame grimaced. That probably hadn't been the best of ways to reach the heart of the matter. Oh well. There was silence, awkward for Kisame and glorious for Hinata.

"H-have you l-lost a P-pokemon, K-kisame-san?" Hinata asked quietly, her voice barely louder than last time. She gave up trying to control her shaking hands by clenching them together, and started to clench the trim of her coat. Kisame watched her, trying to think of the best way to answer her question.

"Yes, I have. I've lost quite a few Pokemon, Hinata-chan." Kisame replied quietly. Another tremor shook through her. Another pang of empathy, sympathy, regret hit his heart. He suddenly remembered that this was a fifteen year-old girl, just starting on her Pokemon journey. And in her first official match against a registered gym leader, an adorable puppy Pokemon had crushed the skull of her adorable cottonweed Pokemon that her cousin had given her as a present.

_Good Arceus...She's too young for this._ He thought, barely repressing a shudder as he swallowed.

"D-does it e-ever get any e-easier?"

"Of course not." He replied. It shot out of his mouth too quickly for him to stop it, but it was the truth that he felt. The sob she let out made him want to run away, the feeling of uncertainty and unpreparedness in this situation making him feel inadequate. But he also felt like pulling her close and letting her sob out all the tears, because he knew that's what she really needed. He knew that has been what he needed when his first Pokemon died.

So Kisame awkwardly put an arm around Hinata's shoulder, pulling her close to him. Hinata started to sob louder, and leaned into him. She clung to him, crying all over him and probably getting snot all over him. But that was okay, he reasoned. After all, she had just realized one of the harsh truths about this cruel but wonderful world. One that would repeatedly show itself, Kisame remembered as he thought over all the friends he had lost...

"Kisame Hoshigaki? What the fuck are you doing?" A familiar voice called, jerking Hinata away from him and ripping his thoughts from that path. Hinata cowered, pulling her legs up to her as Kisame watched Kitai Touko walk up to them. "And what the hell happened to you?"

Kisame grimaced. This was going to be difficult to explain.

* * *

><p><em>I apologize for the crappiness of this chapter. I mistakenly told myself I'd have PLENTY of time to get this chapter written. And then I got sick for the majority of the week. So I didn't get to make edits like I'm use to. <em>

_I also didn't mean for it to come out so dark, but I was writing Hinata and Cress's battle and thought "Hey! What if Poofeh died?" and then this happened. Mind you, it made writing a lot of other portions of this chapter a lot easier, but now I have to deal with the backlash of Hinata's angst over her Pokemon dying._

_Kitai Touko is essentially the grown-up version of White. And to be honest, I was playing Pokemon Black and found her attire to be completely ridiculous when I was going through the desert resort, and when I was going through Twist Mountain during the winter. So I changed it. :D_

_I've also been reading reviews (they make me squeal with joy, by the way) and a lot of people are asking about Kisame's Pokemon. Yes, Kisame's Pokemon are under-leveled and such considering how long he's been a Trainer. But do you really think he'd stick with the same team for 15+ years? No. Yes, he has badass Pokemon. They're just in the PC right now. :P And they'll probably make an appearance soon, maybe next chapter. Currently though, his team consists of Pokemon he wants to train into epic baddies._

_See you next week! Leave a comment, question, or concern if you please. C:_


	5. Bits and Pieces for Hinatachan!

**Sharks in Sunny Places**

_Not sure what to say here. I uploaded a few doodles to my deviantart, which you can find the link to on my profile page. I've also been working on fleshing out a lot more of the details of the story. I also apologize for the lack of Kisame battle. He'll get one eventually..._

StormDragon666 – You're my favorite. You get hugs. I get a good idea on what can be done to give it a more Pokemon-y feel when I read your reviews, and I grin and giggle for no apparent reason when I read your reviews. So I hope this chapter pleases you.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon or Naruto. Boo.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five:<strong> Bits and Pieces

* * *

><p>The problem with being timid, Hinata found, was that sometimes you found people to be unreasonably intimidating. It just wasn't normal, she realized, to feel so overwhelmingly threatened by a person for no apparent reason. And yet, when some people approached her, Hinata would feel the overwhelming need to flee in the face of them. This was horrifying for her, and that current feeling made her feel extremely flighty, especially in light of the woman before them.<p>

And, she reasoned, she would find Kitai Touko to be this type of person even if her somewhat prudish elders hadn't stated that they found she would be an excellent heir. (Oh, if only she'd been a Hyuuga, they sighed.) Kitai Touko had a personality that seemed to be a force of nature in and of itself. She was a woman to be respected, if not feared, for her accomplishments. And for some reason, if her not-so-subtle glaring was any evidence, she bore a grudge against Kisame.

Hinata decided that if there hadn't been a reason to dislike her before, there most certainly was now. So, despite the fact that she was practically cowering behind her legs, Hinata mustered up all of her bravery and sent an angry look at Kitai. Kitai only spared her a seconds glance, narrowing her eyes at the timid Hyuuga and baring her teeth, before returning her gaze on Kisame.

Kisame felt very awkward. On one hand, he could atone for past sins and not have his guts ripped out in the process. On the other hand, his charge would probably take Kitai's side and would hate him forever for an unfortunate falling out that he had no control of whatsoever. In fact, considering the scene she stumbled upon and the fact that they hadn't seen each other in at least three years...

"Kisame Hoshigaki, you will tell me what is going on and where the hell you've been for the last forty months, or so help me Arceus I will systematically take out all of your organs and feed them to my Krookodile!" Kitai practically screeched. Hinata actually recoiled, and tried to bring up both of her arms as well as her legs up to form a barrier between her and the offended (banshee of a) woman.

...This would not end well for him, Kisame decided. Reluctantly he removed his arm from Hinata's shoulder, sighing as he did so, and hoisted himself up. A flicker of uncertainty flashed through Kitai's eyes, and Kisame found himself grinning toothily as she slowly realized what exactly Kisame's appearance was, and how much of it was his lumbering form.

Kisame had always been an unnaturally tall male, even before they escaped, so he realized people were very intimidated by just his height. But when you added his predatory eyes, altered jaw line and cheekbones, and his now blue-gray skin to the mix...You were faced with a pure monster. To be honest, Kisame was surprised she'd recognized him due to the considerable amount of contrast of before and after. For right now, though, he'd just enjoy her expression and the lack of her accusatory shrieking voice.

And the silence was heavy. Kisame stood, his form imposing and intimidating to Kitai, who stood gaping as she tried to think of a good mental foothold to anchor upon, and shielding and protective to Hinata who was peeking out from her bodily barriers, memories of earlier popping up in short bursts. The only sounds heard were the occasional footfalls of a stranger walking by, the inhaling and exhalation of breath, and the odd sniffle from Hinata. Eventually, Kisame decided to make Kitai's angry threats into an actual conversation that wouldn't result in bodily harm.

"Touko-chan...It's been a while." Kisame said simply, and he saw anger glow in her eyes before she ruthlessly stomped it down into a calmer response. Kisame had to resist the urge to chortle. Kitai was shockingly transparent once you removed her pleasant facade.

"Yes, it had been." She agreed, her tone bitter and jaded. "And where exactly have you been, Kisame-_kun_?" This time Kisame didn't even bother to hide his response, which was a snort of disbelief.

"Touko-chan, it's not as if I _planned_ to vanish like that." He said, crossing his arms as he stared down at her. He saw Kitai's angry eyes ripple with fear, as she felt his predatory eyes glare down on her, and snorted again. "You've obviously noticed my change in appearance."

Hinata, despite wishing herself to be elsewhere (_Anywhere but between the clash of these two titans_, her unease screamed out at her.), watched the exchange. The two knew each other (_Of course they knew each other_, a rampant thought from Hinata piped up, the same one from the Dream Yard) and there was obviously some foul waters between the two. And Kitai knew Kisame before...Hinata gave the exchange her full attention, muffling down the thoughts of leaving or fleeing, and tried to make herself as unnoticeable as possible. Vital details about Kisame were right in front of her...

"Of course. Did your little obsession with Water-types go a bit too far?" Kitai goaded, putting her hands on her hips and glaring up at Kisame defiantly. Hinata's eyes narrowed. While Kisame had always been polite to her, she had never goaded him before, and she was worried that he might do something rash.

But his reaction was calm, even if he did bristle up a bit. Hinata hoped Kitai realized she was treading on thin ice. "No. Remember Team Plasma?"

Kitai's eyes widened, and she looked at Kisame with suspicion. "Of course. I helped defeat them. What of it? Did you join them?" Kisame rolled his eyes as she trailed on. "Is that why you look so...fishy?"

"No, I didn't join them. Nor do I ever intend to, if you must know. I was captured by a few renegades shortly after..." Kisame's eyes flickered over to Hinata, whose expression was intense and slightly confused, before continuing. "And I was experimented on." Kitai and Hinata's eyes widened in realization, Hinata looking at Kisame with sympathy and concern in her eyes, and Kitai's turning into one of disbelief and anger.

"That's a lie! The only Plasma still on the loose are Ghestis and N!" Kitai all but snarled. "And N would never stand for such a thing." Kisame shrugged nonchalantly, his arms falling down to their sides.

"I don't know who was running the show. I just saw scientists in Plasma uniforms. Itachi-san will tell you the truth if you don't believe me, Touko-chan." The last bit came out quietly, a sharp contrast to the confident tone he had been using only seconds earlier, and there was a hint of desperation in his voice.

Hinata froze, history of Nuvema Town going through her head as she recognized names. Itachi-san. The only Itachi-san that she had heard of and that Kitai could have known would have been Itachi Uchiha. Hinata swallowed, trying to process all the possibilities and rumors she had heard from the Uchiha's mysterious spiriting away, and to turn them into a logical conclusion where these two could have known him. If Kisame and Kitai knew Itachi Uchiha...

"Itachi?" Kitai breathed, all of the anger and rage empty from her voice." Itachi was..."

"With me, the whole time." Kisame said simply. He watched her put things together. He glanced back over at Hinata. They both came from the same town, so it would only be natural that they would both be familiar with the prodigy. It would also make sense, that if Itachi was with Kisame during his imprisonment, that the Uchiha would have also been missing during that time.

"But...but...Plasma...It disbanded! I disbanded it!" Kitai howled, clutching her head as her legs gave way, causing her to collapse to the ground in a heap. Kisame grimaced, realizing what this was possibly doing to her sense of security, and walked the few short paces over to her and kneeled down.

"Kitai, they may have disbanded, but there were still rogue experimentalists." Kisame said softly. "They created Genesect."

"No..."

"You heard on the news, didn't you? That it got released in Accumula Town and trashed the buildings?" Kisame conveniently left out that the Akatsuki had originally released it from its cell, and that it had also left murdered Pokemon and humans in its wake. Kitai grimaced, burying her head deeper into her arms.

"I was _there_, Kisame-kun! I _saw_ the damage it did to the Center and the buildings and I even tried to _stop_ it, Kisame-kun!" She whispered quietly, peeking up at him from underneath her arms. Seconds ticked by, and Kisame and Kitai seemed to realize something at the exact same time.

"Oh shi-" Was all Kisame got out, before he was tackled to the ground, a furious Kitai straddling him. Her hands reached around his neck, forming a loose hold of his air supply.

"You! _You!_" Kitai shrieked, picking up his neck and slamming it down rapidly as she began to yell at Kisame. Hinata sat there, frozen and unsure of what to do, and suddenly she just needed to move and do _something_. "You were _there_, you were fighting right _there_ and you didn't even say _anyth_-" Kitai was cut off by Hinata kicking her in the side. The look of surprise and pain that slowly Kisame slowly registered on Kitai's face was quickly replaced by the registration of _Hinata pinning down Kitai_ and Hinata forcing Kitai's arms above her head, rendering them immobile by placing weight down on them.

Kisame quickly shot up, and grabbed Hinata around her waist and hoisted her onto his shoulder, despite her frantic kicking and flailing and beating on him. Kitai was recovering from the shock of being tackled to the ground by the unsuspecting Hyuuga girl she had defeated earlier, and by the time she had fully realized what had happened, Kisame and Hinata were already gone.

Kitai's scream of frustration could be heard around the surrounding blocks.

* * *

><p>Hinata was in awe at how fast they were moving. All the people they passed were just a blur, and Hinata doubted that they even noticed more than a strong gust of wind blowing by them instead of a large shark-man carrying off a girl.<p>

Hinata had stopped her struggles, realizing that it would be more beneficial to stay still (even if this position really hurt her stomach) as she was a lot less likely to fall onto her face. As a result, she noticed that they were heading to the edge of the city, near Route 3. By the time they stopped, they were right outside the entrance to the Daycare.

Hinata resumed wiggling, not appreciating being carried like a sack of potatoes. Kisame grumbled something, and placed her on the ground in front of him. Hinata fixed her attire so she didn't look quite so disheveled, not looking up at Kisame until she was done.

"You alright, kid?" He asked gruffly as she did so, trying to judge if she was injured and how badly Kitai had hurt him. His large palm checked his head and neck for bruises, and he winced as he realized there were sensitive parts and the beginning of a nasty headache. _That banshee..._

"Y-yes, I'm f-fine." Hinata answered, bringing her hands up to press her fingers together in nervousness. "K-kisame-san..." She started, looking down and biting her lip as she thought of all the questions she wanted to ask him.

"Hmm?" Kisame grunted, noticing her body language and knowing questions were going to follow. _Damn that banshee._

"H-how do you...Kn-know T-touko-sama?" Hinata asked, peeking up at him in a manor that made him feel entirely uncomfortable. Kisame grimaced and looked off into the distance.

"It's not that impressive of a story." Kisame said, trying to deter her from the answers. Hinata's brows furrowed, realizing that he was avoiding the topic.

"P-please, Kisame-san..." She asked again, and Kisame inwardly sighed. There wasn't going to be an easy way to deter her, was there?

"I met her in Hoenn, when she was contacting Birch for who knows what. We came to Unova together. I traveled around with her for a while, before I was taken." Kisame was withholding details. Many, many details. This was all she needed to know. There were some things better left unsaid.

"O-oh." Hinata replied simply. She'd been expecting something more glamorous, considering the way Kitai had reacted. "I-if we ever r-run into h-her again..." Kisame snorted, looking very agitated at the idea. "C-could you...K-kick her a-ass for m-me?"

Kisame's eyes whirled over to the Hyuuga, who was blushing and fiddling with her fingers and looking extremely uncomfortable at what she had just said, an expression of disbelief on his face. "What did you say?" Hinata blushed darker, and her feet suddenly became very interesting to her.

"I-i don't l-like Touko-sama!" She tried to explain quickly. "Sh-she was r-rude to you, and sh-she..." Hinata frowned, a bitter taste coming into her mouth as she remembered earlier. "I d-don't like h-her!" Hinata exclaimed, looking up at Kisame suddenly, her expression firm and full of stubbornness.

Kisame laughed, a deep belly laugh, her reaction completely different from what he'd been expecting but completely amusing. Hinata pursed her lips, wondering what was so funny. Once he recovered, he was still grinning, and Hinata found herself feeling a better. "So you don't like people who are rude to me, eh Hinata-chan?" He teased, and Hinata's gaping mouth and rosy face sent him into another laughing fit.

"N-no...I m-mean yes, b-but that n-not all I..." Hinata said, panicking, her hands flailing in front of her.

"It's fine, I get what you mean." Kisame reassured, still grinning toothily. Hinata pursed her lips, still blushing. "Do you have anything you want to do in Striation City still or shall we head off to Nacrene City?" Kisame asked, changing gears. Hinata thought for a few seconds, remembering if there was anything left to do. She grimaced, remembering that Neji had left the previous day and that it would be a while until she would get to apologize...

"No, I'm r-ready to l-leave, Kisame-san." Quietly she reached for her bag that he was handing to her. She had forgotten all about it when Kisame had provided the escape, and she was glad that he had remembered their belongings. "Th-thank you, Kisame-san."

Kisame grunted in acknowledgment, watching her. She had suddenly reverted back into a morose mood. It felt out of place, and he didn't like it. "Cheer up, Hinata-chan." He said as she fastened her bag to her shoulder, her face lighting up in surprise.

"M-maybe later." She muttered, and Kisame grimaced. He picked up his backpack, pulling the map out of its slot and flipping through it carelessly as he placed his bag over his shoulder. "H-how long w-will it take u-us to get to Nacrene?"

"What's left of our daylight." He replied, and Hinata's lips pursed. Eventually he flipped to the right page, and the two started to walk in an easy silence.

* * *

><p>"Kisame-san, i-is the Itachi y-you kn-knew Itachi U-uchiha?"<p>

"Yes, why?" Kisame asked, surprised by the random question out of the blue.

"D-does Sasuke-san kn-know he's o-okay?"

"I don't think Itachi has contacted anyone he use to know." He replied, and watched Hinata frown in thought.

"I-if you e-ever contact Itachi-san, t-tell him to c-contact his l-little brother." Kisame's brow raised in interest, but didn't ask.

"I'll try, but ultimately it's up to him."

"Th-thank you, Kisame-san." Hinata smiled softly up at him, and Kisame had to fight the heat that was rising to his face.

He wondered what would happen once they hit Nacrene City.

* * *

><p>The night air of Route 3 was peaceful, and Hinata enjoyed the walk. She saw many native Pokemon, and had to resist the urge to coo and capture some of the cuter ones. She didn't feel as if she had the right to do that just yet, so soon after...<p>

Hinata's eyes turned to Kisame, who also seemed to be enjoying the walk. While it was cold, and their breath was visible, the nearby lake hadn't frozen over just yet. The moon shimmered over the lake, and the occasional splash of a Water-type Pokemon made the route seem alive but relaxing.

Hinata sighed, almost completely at peace, and wished they could just travel forever...

* * *

><p>Nacrene City had a similar feel to Nuvema Town. The night was peaceful, sleepy almost. The air was soothing and quiet, and you almost didn't want to make a peep. The city was built inside a forest, and the occasional chittering of birds and insects could be heard. But that was where the similarities ended. Instead of being littered with homes and houses, the city was filled with warehouses, old abandoned train carts, and train tracks that ran from east to west.<p>

The city was full of history and design, remnants of the past visible in almost every aspect of its architecture. The old warehouses were transformed into colorful homes and businesses, having lost their former uses of storage for the now abandoned railroad. Many of the buildings were made from brick material, and restaurants new and old took pride in their city's heritage.

The smell of pizza from a local shop filled the air, and Hinata felt her mouth water and her stomach rumble. Hinata could almost taste the warm, melted mozzarella, luscious tomato-basil sauce, and the thin slices of greasy pepperoni, all on a Nacrene-style crust. Hinata had to resist the urge to barge into a shop and buy a personal pan right that instant, and it showed by the way she kept staring at the stores longingly as they walked by.

Little did she know, Kisame was both amused and empathetic to her plight. He had visited Nacrene City before, and had found himself drawn into the stores to buy pizza almost every time he stepped outside. And it wasn't as if it wasn't worth it, he remembered.

"Hey Hinata-chan, want to grab a pizza?" Hinata turned to stare at him as if he was her savior, and he laughed. "The smell is awful, so we might as well grab a bite to eat before we hit the Center."

"Y-yes, please!"

Hinata practically dragged him in to the next shop, her eyes lit up with a childish glee and her lips turned slightly upward. She even agreed to order for him, as he hung back in a booth, hiding from other patrons' wary glances. The aura of angst was lifted from her posture, if only for a short while.

* * *

><p>He dreamed of her that night, and it unnerved him.<p>

It wasn't that he was unused to dreaming of others, quite the contrary. He was use to seeing all sorts of people in his dreams, albeit they were generally not in such a...pleasant fashion.

No, most of Kisame's dreams were filled with blood, screams of terror, and confusing memories melded into one. Memories of this life and memories of an old life twisted together to form a grotesque play in which he was the puppet, no control over himself until he was awake.

So this dream was both a pleasing surprise and mildly disturbing. Especially considering...its nature. And the way Hinata behaved in his dream. And how it highlighted all the things Kisame enjoyed in the girl, in shockingly slow motions. And how...

Kisame slipped off to take a cold shower, his pants feeling uncomfortable and his mind needing to be jolted awake.

This needed to be considered in many levels.

* * *

><p>"Good job. Her Pokemon was reported dead last night." The shadow praised, facing his accomplice.<p>

"Thank you. Now will you release your control over Chile and the Gym?" Cress asked, cold eyes glaring at the man.

"Of course, for the Gym." The shadowy man said, a foreboding smirk on his aging face. Next to him, greedy green eyes narrowed, displeased with those words.

"You said you'd release Chile!" Cress accused, his fists tightening and his body bristling with anger.

"I never said that. You merely interpreted the terms wrong." The shadow replied, his tone degrading. He spoke as if he was talking to a child.

"You bastard...!" Cress sneered, wishing he could do something.

"Heh. Now why would I get rid of such a useful pawn...? Especially if I gain another in the process."

Cress realized he wasn't done with these two. He grimaced, and asked the question he loathed. "What else do you want?"

"Ohohoh, it looks like you're catching up." The green-eyed shadow merely crossed his arms, wondering what the old Uchiha had up his sleeve.

* * *

><p>When Hinata woke up, she was surprised to find that Kisame was still asleep above. The past few days, he'd been awake before her, and she was confused as to why the pattern had been broken.<p>

Regardless, Hinata did her usual morning routine, planning her day as she went. When Kisame was still not awake by the time she'd finished, Hinata debated waiting for him to wake up. Hinata finally settled upon the fact that Kisame, being a full-grown shark-man, could take care of himself when he woke up, and decided it was time to start the day. A post-it note was stuck to his bag explaining that she'd gone out.

* * *

><p>Kisame awoke to the sound of his PokeNav ringing. He sleepily picked it up, surprised that someone could still call him on it, when it stopped ringing.<p>

_1 missed call from Kitai Touko._

_1 missed call from Kitai Touko._

_1 missed call from Kitai Touko._

_Oh for Jirachi's sake..._ Kisame thought agitatedly. The PokeNav started ringing again, and Kisame threw it against the opposing wall, not caring if it broke. He grumpily turned over, and put his pillow over his head.

It still rang.

* * *

><p>Hinata was training. It wasn't hard, brutal training. It wasn't soft, fluffy training either. It was an in-between, a training of not just her Pokemon, but herself as well.<p>

Hinata was having her Pokemon fight against each other. It was a three-way battle. The one left standing would get a treat, and the other two would get a smile and a "you did a great job! You'll do better, too!" before being taken to the Pokemon Center.

She was studying her Pokemon. She was studying their own tactics, the methods they had learned, their own flairs of style in battle. It was interesting to her, and she almost wished she had brought a notepad.

Pepper was head-strong, confident, fierce. He liked strong attacks, and wasn't afraid to take a blow. He was slower than the others, but he hit harder.

While Mimi had confidence in her abilities, she also wasn't afraid to run away and hit back when her opponent was distracted. She held back in her attacks, and didn't seem to want to hurt the others. This had cost her a few matches, but Hinata liked that trait. Mimi was also a bit gullible, and Yumeko had taken advantage of that before by playing dead or feinting.

Yumeko was the least willing to take damage, mostly because she was a bit of a glass cannon. She could hit hard, but she was also taken out easily. She preferred to put the others to sleep, and would often trick them. She also turned out to be mischievous.

This was what Hinata had decided before Mimi and Pepper evolved.

Pepper, being her starter, evolved first. Hinata hadn't expected it, and had been watching the battle intently when Pepper started to turn white and glow. Hinata panicked, unsure of what was happening, before she recalled footage of Pokemon evolving. Awe overwhelmed panic, and she stared as her adorable pig grew larger and broader.

Pepper's tail grew longer and fluffier, spiraling outward. His stout shrunk into his head, and his head grew broader as his shoulders filled out. His front legs turned into beefy arms, and he stood up on his hind legs as they filled out with muscle.

When it finished, Hinata couldn't stop the elation and pride from bubbling up. She rushed over and hugged her starter, happy that she had helped him become stronger. Mimi and Yumeko stood by, having stopped their battle as soon as Pepper started to evolve. Pepper the Pignite hugged her back awkwardly, a confident look on his face, and Hinata was reminded why she had chosen him for her starter.

While Oshawott and Snivy were both cute, and their evolved forms were strong, they never held the confidence that Tepig's forms did. Sure, all of Snivy's forms were self-confident, self-assured of their own power, they didn't appeal to Hinata. And Oshawott's later forms were just intimidating. Pignite just oozed confidence, in a way that made Hinata feel confident in herself. And Hinata was attracted to that feeling. It made her want to better herself, to become a great Trainer that would give her Pokemon that confidence.

And here she was, training, and she had already seen that confidence emerge. Her little Pepper had evolved. Even the part of her still mourning Poofeh remove her feelings of joy and pride. They took a break, with snacks and drinks included, and Hinata smiled all the way through.

In return, her Pokemon trained harder when they resumed. Mimi, while she had distrusted Hinata earlier, was eagerly battling in hopes of having that pride-filled gaze focus on her. Yumeko battled harder, more tactfully, recognizing the power that Pepper now held. She also used her Psychic-type attacks more often, which helped keep away the Pignite.

Two hours later, Mimi evolved.

Hinata felt like she was walking on sunshine.

* * *

><p>Hinata had been walking back to the Pokemon Center, to heal her Pokemon and grab a bite to eat. While there was the occasional thought of Kisame (mainly of the "I wonder how Kisame will react when he sees Mimi and Pepper evolved" variety, and her imagination feeding her all sorts of reactions), Hinata had been lost in her own little training montage.<p>

So when she saw Kisame and Kitai talking together, Hinata wasn't quite sure what to think.

They were a bit out of the way, in-between two warehouses, but still close enough to the street that they could be seen to passersby people. Kisame had his arms crossed, leaning against a warehouse wall and looking disgruntled by the fact that Kitai was there. Kitai stood facing him, and while Hinata couldn't see her facial expression, she had her hand on her hip.

Thoughts went through Hinata's head. _Why is Touko-sama here? Didn't we leave her behind? How did she find Kisame-san? Why is she talking to Kisame-san? Are they fighting? Should I go see if they're alright? No, that's a horrible idea...If they're fighting, Touko-sama would be yelling and then she might yell at me._ Hinata shivered at that thought. _I don't want her to yell at me. She's scary._

Suddenly, both of their body language changed. Hinata couldn't tell why or what it meant, but...

Kitai gripped Kisame's shirt, and jerked him down to her level. And then suddenly Kisame and Kitai's faces were _very_ close together, and Hinata felt _very_ awkward. She didn't knowing if they were kissing or if Kitai was whispering a threat or...Hinata didn't want to find out.

Her cheeks rosy, her brain shouting out its confusion, and her hands trembling, she scuttled off to the Pokemon Center.

* * *

><p>Hinata walked out of the Pokemon Center, a burger in her hand. She enjoyed the frigid air and the warmth of her lunch, and was looking forward to continuing her training. Hinata had just taken a bite out of her burger when suddenly Kitai was in her field of vision. Hinata kept walking, but her eyes trailed to the ground, and she tried to ignore Kitai and focus on her food.<p>

Her food was snatched out of her hands a few seconds later. Hinata bit her lip, and slowly looked up to see Kitai's determined eyes. "T-touko-sama...?" She asked, surprised and wondering why Kitai had snatched away her burger.

"Hinata-chan..." Kitai started, and Hinata briefly wondered when Kitai had given herself permission to address her as such. It was certainly a lot more intimate than the Hyuuga-sama she'd been using before."Do you like Kisame?"

Hinata blinked in surprise. Wha...? Where'd _that_ come from? "Kisame-san?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Yes, Kisame-san." Kitai confirmed, nodding her head as she did so. She also slightly crushed Hinata's burger, much to Hinata's dismay.

"What do you m-mean?" Hinata asked, a perplexed expression on her face. Kitai frowned deeply.

"Do you like him?"

"I..." Hinata started, thinking about it. While Kisame had improved in her opinion, she was still a bit terrified by him and she didn't know what to do around him at times. But she had yet to see him do anything...bad. He seemed like a good person, even if she was wary of him and others seemed to flat-out hate him. Zabuza's seething eyes and Kitai's anger flashed through her mind, memories of people's disturbance at his appearance, their fear...Kiba and Shino's approval, almost idolizing him. Kisame, after battling the Genesect and defending her from Kakuzu and Zabuza. Kisame taking her to catch her first Pokemon, escorting her to Striation City and Nacrene City. "H-he's a good p-person. He's a b-bit s-scary, but I l-like him."

Kitai's expression softened, and she nodded as she took that answer. "Just...don't fall in love with him, okay?" Hinata blinked in confusion, and Kitai handed her back her smooshed burger before darting off.

_I wonder what that was all about._ Hinata thought, taking a bite of her burger. _Did she...love Kisame?_ Hinata worriedly thought of the implications of that. Kitai had a personality like Sakura-chan's. She was even violent like Sakura-chan. She balked at the idea of them being together like that.

Walking north, Hinata passed by the Museum of Unovan History and Research Library, otherwise known as the Nacrene City gym. She briefly considered going inside, halting in front while beginning her second burger, and pondered her chance of success. On one hand, she was sure Pepper could hold his own for the majority of the challenge. On the other, her other (_two, not three_ a small voice hissed at her) Pokemon had no type advantage. Yumeko wouldn't do well just yet.

While she was lost in thought and food, a man approached her. This man was famous throughout Unova, and it was only by sheer luck and timing that he had approached her. "Hello, ma'am?"

"Hmm?" Hinata asked, not wanting to talk with a mouth full of food as she turned to the speaker. Instantly, recognition flashed through her. The man had poofy brown hair that wildly surrounded his face, a slight unsure smile on it. His clothes could be described as fashionable or artistic in style. He was...

"Uh, hello, my name's Burgh. And yours?" He introduced, before waiting patiently for Hinata to respond.

"H-hinata Hyuuga." She said finally. _Oh, Shino was going to want to hear about this..._ Hinata thought, embarrassment and panic coursing through her. Shino had always praised Burgh's work, and it was possibly the only thing she knew of that could get him on a non-stop rant of appreciation.

"Well, Hinata-san, are you intending to challenge Lenora-sama?" Hinata shook her head.

"N-not yet. I'm n-not strong enough y-yet."

"Ah, good call. I prefer Trainers who aren't over-confident in their abilities. Oh, by the way, I'm the leader of the Castelia City gym." Burgh informed, and Hinata nodded.

"I've h-heard. And y-your paintings are b-beautiful." Hinata said honestly, and Burgh smiled eagerly.

"Oh! Well, it's always nice to hear someone knows about me." Burgh looked genuinely pleased that Hinata knew of him. But suddenly he looked crestfallen. "Unfortunately, I don't often have the time to paint anymore. That's why I escape here, I guess." He explained, a grim and forced smile across his face.

"Oh...I'm sorry." Hinata murmured, her heart going out to him. She hoped he'd become free soon, so that he would make more beautiful art pieces.

"Ah, it's fine, I shouldn't trouble you with my problems." Burgh tried to make his smile seem less forced, but failed. "Anywho, point me in the direction of a good pizza shop and I'll leave you alone."

"Oh!" Hinata thought back to the one she and Kisame had visited the previous night. "Uhm...V-vitti's is good, on uhm...Tenth street!"

"Ooo, I've heard good news about that place." Burgh informed, looking pleased. "Anyway, I'm Burgh, and I look forward to battling you in Castelia City." He offered his hand, and Hinata shyly shook it. "See you then, Hinata-san!"

And then he was gone, and Hinata wondered if she'd get to eat her burger in peace. Still, Hinata couldn't help but wish she'd gotten to talk to him more. And she wished she'd gotten his autograph for Shino...

* * *

><p>"Kisame-san!" He heard a soft voice call out to him, and he halted to see who had called him. Hinata ran up to him, a small smile on her face. She looked much better than she had the night before, he noticed. Bits of last night's dream flickered through his mind, and he brutally stomped them down.<p>

"Heya." He said simply as she approached him. "Someone looks like they've had a good day."

Hinata's smile grew for a fraction of a second. "Pepper and Mimi evolved earlier. I spent the day training for the g-gym challenge." Hinata said proudly, and Kisame smirked.

"Oh? Good job, kiddo." Hinata beamed at his praise, prompting Kisame's smirk to grow. "You sound nice when you don't stutter." Hinata flushed a deep red, and Kisame chuckled. _She really is innocent._ Kisame mused, before sharp reminders flashed through his mind. _Uhg. I need to talk to Itachi-san._

"Uhm, Kisame-san..." _Itachi-san is in town, though...Would it really be wise to speak to him?_

"Hmm?" _I've been lax as is, and no doubt Kakuzu has talked to him since then. If not, then Zabuza._

"D-did...Touko-sama l-like y-you?" Kisame blinked. Where'd that come from...?

"Touko-chan? Why?" Kisame looked at Hinata in confusion, who appeared to be very uncomfortable at this topic. _She didn't...She wouldn't..._

"Touko-sama t-tried to t-talk to me e-earlier." Kisame growled, eyes narrowing, while Hinata's eyes widened in fear, her hand flying to her mouth as she flinched. _Oh Arceus, I shouldn't have told him..._

Kisame inwardly grimaced at her reaction. "Sorry. Touko-chan doesn't like me much, anymore. But I suppose she use to." He pulled out his PokeNav, glowering at it as he pulled up Kitai Touko's information.

"K-kisame-san, could y-you uhm...Take me to the library?" Hinata asked quickly, not wanting to see what he was going to do with his PokeNav. Kisame hesitated, his finger hovering over the call button. A quick look at Hinata's face gave him more insight than he needed. She looked worried, pleading and...a bit scared. He sighed, and put the PokeNav away.

"Fine. But you're only delaying the inevitable, Hinata-chan."

The relieved look she gave him made him feel uncomfortable. "Thank you."

Kisame merely grunted, and started to trudge his way to the library, Hinata following him closely.

* * *

><p>It was completely dark outside by the time they arrived at the museum. The attendant informed them that they would only be able to visit for a half-hour. Hinata assumed that would be enough time to get a good idea of the layout before tomorrow.<p>

What she hadn't expected was for Kisame to vanish while she was looking at a particularly interesting exhibit. When she looked around to locate him, she was surprised when she didn't see him in the vicinity. Had she really been that absorbed in the exhibit?

Suddenly she was all-too aware of the deafening silence in the museum. Bringing her hand up to her mouth in worry, she decided to look for Kisame.

She found him standing in front of a large statue, a winged woman with a bowed head holding a blade depicted in flawless plaster. Next to him stood a raven-haired man, looking considerably smaller to Kisame's humongous form.

Stepping closer, the two both seemed to notice her at the exact same time. Hinata was shocked when she recognized the man.

Itachi Uchiha.

"Hinata-chan..." Itachi murmured, and Kisame looked surprised. Itachi beckoned her over. Nervously, Hinata bit her lip and walked over to join the two. Why was Itachi here...? Why was Kisame...?

Hinata halted by Kisame's side, allowing him to shield her from the Uchiha. She hesitantly peeked around him at the Uchiha. Kisame snorted, and forcibly moved her to stand next to Itachi, noting her fearful expression. She didn't do well with people, it seemed. Itachi's lips twitched at the display.

"Kisame tells me you wish for me to contact Sasuke-kun." Itachi said simply, and Hinata merely nodded. Hinata didn't know why she was so intimidated by Itachi. Itachi had always been pleasant towards her. But he had been gone so long, and...

Hinata suddenly looked at him, began to really _look_ at him. Itachi had always been pale, almost ghostly in color, but now it seemed to have a...green tint to it. It was barely noticeable, unless you stared at him. He wore what appeared to be a long-sleeved brown sweater that had a coat-tail, and a green belt circling his waist, but it appeared to have no holes for his hands. One of his ears extended into a four-pronged flower, with one of the prongs looking as if it was shaped into a microphone. His hair, which was still its normal color, was pulled into a ponytail as it always had been, but was forced off to the side to prevent people from noticing his ear wasn't...human.

Itachi watched her study him, and Kisame placed a hand on her shoulder. "Itachi-san..." She whispered. While he would be given less criticism that Kisame, he...had been changed. Just like Kisame. Hinata felt her eyes well up, but refused to let herself cry.

"I cannot return home. I cannot contact any of my family." Itachi said simply. His gaze turned to the statue in front of them. "Instead, I intend to study."

"C-call Sasuke-san." Hinata whispered, and Itachi's eyes trailed back to her, his expression unreadable. Hinata swallowed, her fist clenching as she remembered..."Sasuke-san...Changed. A-after you v-vanished...H-he became withdrawn, a-and dedicated himself to f-finding you."

If Itachi was affected by this information, he didn't let it show. Instead, he focused his gaze back on the statue. "Hinata-chan, do you know who this is?"

"No." Hinata said truthfully, turning her gaze to the statue. She noticed that Kisame hadn't removed his hand from her shoulder, but she said nothing. Instead, she let her hand drop from her mouth and began pressing her fingers together in nervous energy.

"Her name is Goddess Morrighan. She is the human goddess of battle, strife, vengeance, and fertility." Kisame's grip on her shoulder increased for but a second as Itachi explained this to her. "Almost all cultures know of her, but very few are aware of her name. She was most prominent in the Shinobi era, where war and battle was common before humans crossed the sea and discovered the lands of Pokemon."

Kisame's eyes narrowed, and immediately he began to scan the area and watch Itachi. _What is Itachi-san doing?_

"The Uchiha clan and the Hyuuga clan were famous for their close connection with the three goddesses. The Hyuuga clan most resembled Goddess Morrighan, while the Uchiha clan most resembled Nemhain, the goddess of frenzied havoc and light. Numerous tales of these Goddesses and their affects on the Shinobi era are spread throughout the world. I must find them."

"Uhm...Why?" Hinata asked, apprehensive and fearing the answer.

"Great calamity happened the last time they were summoned to this earth."

"But..." Hinata started, before trailing off.

"I must stop it from happening again."

* * *

><p><em>Sorry this is late, life got in the way. The next chapter will probably be delayed a bit as well, as I have an essay and a few tests to worry about this upcoming week. Hopefully the research on who these goddesses are will tide you over until the next chapter. :P I apologize for any typos or odd bits. I skimmed through it a few times and revised some of the wording, but...<em>

_Leave a comment, question, or concern in the review box. C:_


	6. Stolen History of Hinatachan!

**Sharks in Sunny Places**

_Well, I apologize for the long break I took. A lot of stuff piled up on me, and every time I wanted to write it was right before I went to bed. I also wanted to try and figure out more end-game ideas, so I could more easily tie everything together, but nothing came to me. So the end chapters will probably take a long time to get to._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own either Pokémon or Naruto. Sadface. : (

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six:<strong> Stolen History

* * *

><p>It was the dead of night, the exact time unknown. A lone figure darted across the grounds of the museum, barely visible to the human eye. It left no trace that it had passed through this way, not even thumps of footfalls were heard or flattened grass was left. As the figure reached the side of the building, it merely flickered from the ground to the roof without an ounce of effort taxed.<p>

The figure slowed, peering around the roof for a decent entry point. The Nacrene City museum boasted its gorgeous skylights that held the best thief protection known to man. Not even the weight of a Wailord could crack it (though, that had never been proven, and maybe Kisame could test that boast someday…). Unfortunately, the designers hadn't expected ancient arts to be used when the building was made. Thieves these days were more violent, and preferred quick and easy methods of intrusion. But the intruder had a quick and easy method of entry, it just wasn't loud or flashy, and didn't even require shattering the glass skylights. A simple substitution, and the figure was inside the museum, a simple bolt taking its place, tinkering as it hit the roof mere seconds before the figure landed on the tiled floor. A quick orientating glance around, and the figure departed toward its goal.

The library was massive, containing scrolls, tomes, and books from millennia before. Nacrene City had the largest museum regarding ancient scriptures gathered from all across the globe, most containing actual personal accounts of events transpired. Of course, the originals weren't on display, but they were hidden deep within the confines of the library. And it would be a long time until the materials would be missed, the figure mused as it reached for a container. The intruder opened a simple bag, one that looked like it could hold no more than two or three large books, but in reality could hold so much more. The figure darted in-between shelves, grabbing what it needed with a surprising amount of care for the scriptures not required. The figure didn't want any future research materials to be damaged, of course.

And as quickly as the thief had arrived, it flickered out of the museum with as much ease as it had entering. The figure started to head for a quiet place to peer over its newly acquired goods. It walked briskly into the Pokémon Center, ignoring the majority of curious glances of trainers still awake. Quietly ascending the stairs, its eyes met those of a bored-looking brown-eyed red-head. A quick smirk flitted over both of their faces, sharing unspoken triumph and recognition, before the figure turned and entered the boarding hall.

The red-haired man turned to his feminine traveling partner, who was animatedly talking to a lazy-looking teen. He nudged the blond, muttering something that he knew his accomplice could hear but their acquaintance could not. A gleeful malicious gleam entered his partner's eyes, and the conversation began to wrap up. The trio entered the boarding hall together, but the brightly-haired men broke from their companion then. They walked off together, closer together than two men usually would have walked, and quietly slipped into a room together.

* * *

><p><em>You hefted your blade over your shoulder, a wild grin lighting up your face as you slammed it down on the opponent before you. Blood squirted, and you felt a wild glee surge up inside you. You raised you blade again, and began hacking up your opponent, ignoring his pain-filled screams as you reveled in the bloodshed.<em>

"Kisame?"

_A kunai picked up, haphazardly tossed at a distracted enemy's unsuspecting skull. He felt the change in the air, turning slightly on reflex to see the oncoming danger, and fear lit up his eyes as it slid into his skull. The sound was indescribable, but the sight…The protective brain fluids and blood showered out, and you regretted that it hadn't punctured his ear._

"Kisame?"

_Itachi, after the first transfusion. He was exhausted, hair plastered to his forehead, as he slumped down against the cold steel wall. Panting, he turned his head towards you. You notice his eyes, altered in color, swirling black commas circling around a ringed track. The emotion in his eyes blows you back, as you see the fear, the distraught, the tiredness, and the acceptance. You want to go over and comfort him, but you can't even more, hampered by an unseen force._

"Kisame…"

_A violet-haired woman with pale lavender eyes, looking up at you from across the room. There is concern in her eyes. She looks like Hinata, you realize. She is Hinata, you realize, but she is not Hinata. She is a different Hinata, a much more battle-wary Hinata, a much more… You want to tell her everything is all right, that she doesn't have to be scared anymore, that you're all right, you're okay, there's nothing wrong. But as you walk over to do so, you stumble and fall to the ground. Dizzy, you look up and see her frantically trying to heal you with a soft green light. Suddenly you're aware that you might not make it, and you look up into her eyes, almost pleading for her to save you._

"Kisame!"

Kisame was jolted awake, to see Hinata at his side. Briefly he wondered if this was another dream, and then knew it was not.

"Hinata?" He asked, and relief passed over her face. She sat next to him, her legs underneath her and clad in her pajamas. It was still dark, and he wondered what time it was.

"Y-you were having a n-nightmare." Hinata said quietly, her eyes looking concerned. She bit her lip, drawing his attention to them. A bit of blood pooled along her bottom lip, and a stray thought of lapping it up flickered through his mind. He swallowed, and ridiculed himself for the thought.

"You're bleeding." He pointed out. Hinata's face darkened, and she looked down, pressing her fingers together.

"I had t-trouble w-waking you..." She murmured. "I didn't know h-how..."

"Sorry." He rubbed his eye, debating getting up. "What time is it?"

"Three-thirty." Well, there went that idea.

"Shit. Sorry, Hinata-chan." He grimaced. Too early to get up...

"It's okay." Hinata murmured, biting her lip. "Uhm...What did you dream?" She asked quietly, curiosity piping up into her concerned voice.

"Bad things." He grumbled, and Hinata pursed her lips. Blood glinted during the movement. "Go back to sleep, you'll need the rest."

"Will you be o-okay?"Hinata asked, moving herself.

"I'll be fine." He lied, and Hinata nodded in acceptance. "G'night."

"S-sweet dreams, Kisame-san..." Kisame smirked and rolled over to his side.

* * *

><p>Itachi peered over the text, his eyes red as he attempted to concentrate. Against his will, his eyes flickered over to the neighboring room. He grimaced, wishing he had ear-plugs.<p>

They knew he was trying to concentrate. He knew they were trying to give him time to go over the material and memorize it all before they confiscated it. It was nerve-wracking, the amount of pressure on him, and he wished he had the calm that had overtook him earlier. But no, that was just wishful thinking. And unfortunately to add to his distraction, there was the almost muffled but not quite quiet enough moaning coming from Sasori and Deidara's room. His haywire nerves and those noises...It was almost physically impossible for him to concentrate on the material.

He inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself. Leaning back into his chair, he recalled a pleasant tune, and without noticing he began to sing.

* * *

><p><em>The Goddess Morrighan has been seen throughout history. She can be seen as either benevolent or malevolent, while in reality she is neither. Morrighan is the Goddess of War, Vengeance, Fertility, and countless other things. When she appears on our plane of existence, it is on the field of battle, amongst the corpses of the fallen, gently caressing their foreheads with a forlorn look about her. She dislikes tragedy, despite the fact that tragedy goes hand in hand with war and vengeance. She frequently appears in times of great strife, following the wills of those who evoke her power.<em>

_The Goddess Morrighan has many forms. Her humanoid form consists of a blind beauty with raven hair and large, black wings with the feathers of a crow or raven. She is clad in a white dress, golden torques arranged beautifully along her body, and barefoot. He animal forms have been crows, ravens, and cows. Many who worship her believe these beings to be servants of Morrighan, and often bring gifts while treating them honorably. Miltanks, Tauros, and Buffoulants are commonly seen being worshiped, along with bovines of Pre-Dscovery eras._

_The Goddess Morrighan often rivals her sisters. The most commonly seen rivalries take place between Nemhain, Macha, and Morrighan. These rivalries often cause the Goddesses to use humans as pawns, and many incidents in history have been shaped by their battling wills. It is because of these incidents in history that we must study the Goddesses. Not to prove they exist, but to be able to defend ourselves from their meddling._

* * *

><p>She pulled herself up, shivering as she did so. It was cold. She really didn't want to leave the warmth of her bed. But above her, Kisame was moving around restlessly, murmuring small phrases she couldn't comprehend.<p>

"Samehada..." She heard him mutter. _Sharkskin?_ She thought in confusion, biting her lip as she pulled herself out of bed. Mimi moved to the spot where she had been, unconsciously seeking her warmth. Standing, Hinata worriedly glanced up at Kisame's bunk.

Kisame growled, and his arm sluggishly raised above his head. Suddenly, it dropped back down to his side. Hinata swallowed nervously, and called out his name hesitantly. His hand twitched in response, and he winced. Hinata slowly climbed up to his bunk, and crawled up to him.

"Itachi..." Hinata's brows drew together, and she reached over and shook him.

"Kisame..." He reached up to her, almost touching her face. Hinata inhaled sharply, biting her lip hard as his hand hovered in the air. It almost...

"Kisame!" He jolted awake, his hand falling. He blinked, trying to orientate himself, before focusing on Hinata.

"Hi..." His voice sounded odd, and he cleared his throat. "Hinata?"

"Y-you were having a n-nightmare." Hinata whispered. A look of confusion passed over his face, and his eyes trailed to her lips as she bit them. He swallowed, before looking her in the eyes again. A wave of awkwardness passed over her for a split second.

"You're bleeding." He whispered back. Hinata blushed and looked down, not wanting to explain why.

"I had t-trouble w-waking you.." She admitted, twiddling her fingers. "I didn't know h-how..."

"Sorry." He grunted, rubbing his eyes sleepily. His eyes glanced around, half-glazed, looking for a clock. "What time is it?"

"Three-thirty." She murmured, and he grimaced.

"Shit." He swore, looking up at her apologetically. "Sorry, Hinata-chan." She blushed, and her eyes trailed elsewhere, leading to his closest arm. She stared at his hand, and swallowed nervously. He had seemed so...different, before he woke up. Like he was getting to a better part of his dream, before he woke. A memory of his warm hand around hers flashed through her mind, and Hinata's teeth bit into her lip. She tasted her coppery blood, and wondered if his dream had been bloody.

"It's okay. Uhm...What did you d-dream?" She asked, curious.

"Bad things." He grumbled, a sour look on his face. Hinata pursed her lips, and Kisame's eyes darted to them. Hinata licked her lips, tasting the coppery blood as another wave of awkwardness passed over her. "Go back to sleep, you'll need the rest." Kisame said, a hint of urgency in his rumbling voice. Hinata cocked her head in confusion.

"Will you be o-okay?"

"I'll be fine." He replied with confidence, but the undertone of urgency was still there. Hinata nodded slowly. She began to move her way down to the ladder. "G'night." Kisame said, before rolling over to face the wall.

"S-sweet dreams, Kisame-san." She wished, landing on the ground. She crawled into bed, and curled up around Mimi before trying to sleep.

* * *

><p>Stepping into the library, Hinata peered around cautiously. There were two people in sight, one of which was staring at a bookcase, the other spacing off. The library was massive, bookcases lining every inch of wall that Hinata could see, and reaching up to the very finely decorated ceiling. The library was almost deathly silent, as libraries should be, and Hinata's quiet steps sounded like an elephant stomping through.<p>

Warily, Hinata approached one of the spaced-out people, inwardly practicing what she intended to say. She halted right next to him, and stared at him, waiting for him to notice her. After a few seconds of him still not landing on Earth, Hinata waved her hand in front of his face. He blinked suddenly, before realizing he had spaced out and turned his full attention to Hinata.

"Heeeeeeey, cutie." He drawled, and immediately Hinata felt awkward. He grinned as she blushed and began pressing her fingers together nervously. "Sorry, hun, I was just analyzing the likelihood of a Lopunny...Y'know what, never mind what I was doin', what're _you_ doin', sweetie?"

"Uhm...T-the gym ch-"

"Oh, you're here for the challenge of battling me? Oh, how sweet, my dear..."

"H-hinata."

"Ooo, well isn't that a bright ray of sunshine in this frigid winter. Will you warm my heart as well, Hinata-hime?" A brief thought of Kisame punching him in the face while Hinata cheered from behind passed through her head.

"...C-can we just b-battle?" Hinata murmured, visibly uncomfortable, and her opponent blanched.

"Uh, sorry. Hey, Anko, need a break?"

"Hunh?" The other scientist jerked out of their trance, and turned to them. An amused look passed over her face, before she dryly said, "She looks terrified. Good going, Genma."

"Hey, you would've terrified her just as much!" The brunet exclaimed. "So. Hinata-hime. I'm Genma, this is Anko, and we'll be your first opponents." They way he grinned, slightly malicious, paralleled Anko's smirk. Nervously, Hinata swallowed before steeling herself.

She wouldn't run away. She lowered her hands, nodding to herself, and looked them both in the face.

"T-two on two?"

"Ooo, looks like she has a spine. This'll be fun." Anko's voice brimmed with excitement, putting one hand on her hip. A cocky grin lit up her face, and she looked positively feral.

"Let's get this started then."

* * *

><p>Kisame left their room at the Center at around noon, his stomach rumbling. He intended to get some training in with his Pokemon today. Hinata would probably be occupied with the Gym today, so it would be a good day to start whipping these newbs into shape.<p>

But first came lunch, and Kisame ducked into a pizzeria. He scanned the shop out of habit. It was mostly empty, aside from a bored cashier, a waitress occupying herself by the cleaning the tables, and a familiar trio of heads in the corner. _Great, ahead of the lunch rush._ Kisame thought, smiling toothily to himself. He approached the cashier, whose expression charged from bored to nervousness as he noticed the large shark-man.

"H-hello, sir. W-what can I get for you?" The cashier asked, grinning nervously. Kisame ignored him as he looked over the menu.

"Hmm...I'd like three sliced of pepperoni with extra cheese, and a side of your baked pasta, please." Kisame ordered politely, smiling easily at the nervous cashier. Geez, he almost wished Hinata was here to order for him. Nervous cashiers were such a _pain_.

"O-okay! That'll be eleven hundred, twenty-two Poké, sir." The cashier fumbled with the register, dropping some of the coins Kisame handed him. "Oh! You'll have to wait about ten mince, since the batch of pasta is still cooking."

"Alright, thanks man." Kisame strolled over to the group sitting in the corner nonchalantly. A smirk found itself on his face. They were exactly the people he expected them to be. "Hey. Can I sit with you guys?"

"Oh! Hey there, Kisame. Sure, you can sit next to the grumpy Uchiha, un."

* * *

><p>Not everything goes according to plan, unfortunately. <em>They<em> were in Pinwheel Forest, Kisame had been told. While _they_ knew Hinata was off-limits, _they_ might still show themselves to her. Kisame didn't want to think about what that would do to her.

Tracking _them_ down in the frozen forest would be difficult, but not impossible. He knew their habits. _They_ were probably here under instruction, so _they_ would be off the beaten paths.

Lovely. Kisame just hoped that he could train his Pokemon while he searched. Goals in mind, Kisame took his Pokeballs off their latch, and let out his fastest Pokemon.

"Waterlily, Bradley, Gash. If you pick up a sweet scene, like an overdose of cotton candy, inform me." The trio nodded in unison. "We're training today." He informed, grinning ferally. The poor creatures all shared their terrified look.

"Let's get going." Kisame urged, and walked into the frozen forest, his Pokemon trailing behind him.

* * *

><p>A familiar head of hair was currently lost in a sea of words. Hinata quietly approached her, wondering if the woman was really who she assumed it was. The woman paid her no attention, so intent and focused on the readings before her. The distance between them suddenly seemed very vast, even though in reality it was only a few feet. Hinata's breath hitched.<p>

Hinata bit her lip and built up her courage, reaching the distance and tapping the woman on the shoulder. The woman snapped to attention, her eyes sliding over to Hinata with surprise and curiosity. The look in her eyes transitioned to recognition, then returned to surprise before flickering to realization and warmth all within the span of a few seconds.

"Hello, Hinata-chan. It's been a while, hasn't it?" The woman greeted warmly, an affectionate smile slipping onto her face as she peered down at Hinata over her glasses.

"H-hello, Aunt Yomi." Hinata murmured warmly. Aunt Yomi was one of Hinata's favorite relatives. While she should live in the Main House with Uncle Hizashi, she preferred to spend her time in Nacrene City, working in the museum. She was a very warm woman, with an observant eye that made her feel like a Hyuuga despite the lack of family resemblance.

"Here for the challenge, correct?" She was also a member of the Nacrene City Gym, testing new trainers before they were allowed to battle Lenora.

"Yes." Hinata answered firmly. Yomi looked at her fondly, before a question popped into her mind.

"Hmm. I haven't seen Shino-san or Kiba-san yet. Will I see them soon?"

"Uhm, I thought they'd already be here." The question took Hinata off guard. She didn't even know if they'd left Striation City yet.

"Oh? They left before you?" Yomi asked, tilting her head as she pondered why they hadn't challenged her yet.

"I th-think so. I left Striation in a r-rush." Hinata grimaced, remembering why she and Kisame had left so quickly.

"Hmm. That means I'll be battling them soon. Are they coming along nicely in their training?" Yomi was fond of all types of younger people, from Hanabi to Lee to Shino. And she had a bit of a soft spot for Kiba, whose mother was a close friend of hers.

"Y-yes. Kiba-kun and Shino-kun both had little t-trouble in the first g-gym." Yomi's observant tendencies kicked in, noting Hinata's expression.

"Hmm? Did something happen, Hinata-chan?"

"Neji-nii gave me a Cottonee. As a b-birthday present." Hinata's emotions surged, and she closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. Yomi waited patiently, a sad smile slipping on her face as she thought of all the possibilities of danger that could happen on the field. All the heartbreak that could happen to a young girl, just starting out on her journey. "In the first gym, I f-failed and she was f-fatally injured. Sh-she died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Hinata-chan. Have you told my son yet?" Yomi asked sympathetically, her brows knitting together in worry.

"No, I haven't caught up with him yet." Hinata admitted, her gaze trailing to the floor as she pressed her fingers together.

"Ah, that's right, he left here a few days ago. Would you like me to call him and tell him to get in contact with you?"

"Uhm, I'd like to tell him in person."

"Hmm. If you win, I'll let you do that. If not, well, you'll do as Auntie Yomi says. Understood?"

"Y-yes."

"Good. Take a few steps back, If you please."

"Y-yes, Aunt Yomi."

Hinata swallowed nervously, while Yomi peered at her from above her glasses. Such a sad fate to endure, but a necessary one.

Auntie Yomi loved a desperate battle.

* * *

><p>Hunting <em>them<em> was becoming irritating. _They_ were nowhere to to be found. Kisame had covered a good portion of the forest, as had his Pokemon. But finding _them_ in a forest was like looking for a four-leaf clover. Easily hidden within the trees, _they_ had been difficult to find even before _they_ were given human intelligence.

Grumbling irritably, Kisame halted. His Pokemon gratefully slowed, the sound of panting filling the air. Kisame wiped his brow, annoyed at the sweat dripping down his brow. The only reason the salty liquid hadn't entered his eyes was due to the invisible film protecting them, and as a result the sweat was only a mild but constant irritation.

Kisame slumped down on a mossy fallen log, pulling his bag off his shoulders. Rummaging through it, he took out a few sets of canned food and bottled water. Irritatedly, he took off the hot coat, disliking the restrictions and sweat-covered sleeves. His nose wrinkled at the unpleasant smell, but he reveled in the feel of the frigid air against his burning skin.

The clearing provided a pleasant rest spot. Kisame's Pokemon were revitalized with the nourishment provided during the break, and were now happily bounding about playfully as Kisame watched with amusement. Suddenly, killing intent shot through the air. Kisame glanced around the clearing, feeling for its location. He settled on a tree, and snorted arrogantly.

"You know how long I've been looking for you, Zetsu?"

"Yes, we do. _Unfortunately, we were looking for your mess._" Zetsu sneered, stepping out from inside the tree. Kisame briefly wondered if he should stand, considering how to effectively use his dominating presence. He smirked at Zetsu, and took a swig of his water almost nonchalantly. "Zabuza?"

"Unfortunately. He escaped Kakuzu's hold during a skirmish, and _we were told to look for the faggot_." Zetsu explained. "now, you don't know the proper meaning of that word. _Yes I do, it's either a bundle of sticks or a gay man_. Well, it's not polite. _Who cares if it's polite or not? We're not talking to a priest_." Zetsu sniggered, and then sighed. Kisame watched the exchange cooly, slightly grateful he hadn't became as fucked up as these two during the experiments.

"Get it done soon. Hinata will be leaving Nacrene within the next few days." Kisame ordered evenly, glaring at them.

"_Ah, yes, your little morsel_. We shall try to complete our task soon. _Pein ought to pick something less like a frightened rabbit next time_. Well it's not her fault she's wrapped up in all this." Zetsu snorted. "_I'd call her a pansy, but that would be an insult to the pansies_."

"How much does everyone know about her?" Kisame asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. Some of them were fine to be ar- no, that's a lie. No one in the Akatsuki was safe to be around. Everyone was practically insane, or had weird personality quirks, or, well, were like _him_. Kisame had a right to be worried about how much they knew about his charge, because quite frankly, there was no telling if they'd come to kill her. Or scar her. Or worse.

"About as much as Zabuza sneered out. And whatever Itachi and Tobi have revealed." Peering at Kisame, Zetsu smirked. "_You aren't protecting her from us, Kisame. You're protecting her from everything else._" Kisame's response to that was a snort. "Itachi-san is treading on thin ice, Kisame-san. Beware his information."

"Hnn. Don't worry, I'm wary about everyone's information. Tense waters." Kisame sneered, narrowing his eyes at Zetsu.

"Very well. If you set out earlier than expected, send a message. _We'll wipe up your messy relationship_, but don't expect it to happen over night. _Zabuza is a scared little rabbit, and hides like one too._ Needing a bit of rabbit meat? _Yes, I've been craving them a lot recently._ Tobi could order some for us. _After Kakuzu bitches and Tobi cries over eating the cute little animal_. I thought you enjoyed those things. _The latter, not the former._"

"You two are wasting daylight. Get out of here." Kisame growled, causing Zetsu to glare at him.

"_Return to your little mouse, and do your duty_." Zetsu sneered, before sinking into the ground and vanishing.

Kisame waited for a good twenty minutes, probing the area for their chakra and finding none before groaning and palming his face.

"Why did they have to turn us into such freaks...?"

* * *

><p>Hinata was having a tough time trying to figure out how to defeat Katniss. Katniss, a Pidove, was currently avoiding Pepper's Embers like they were nothing. Katniss easily took advantage of the z-axis, not needing to worry much about being hit by the flames as she used every direction possible to avoid them.<p>

Hinata needed to think of something, fast, before the Pidove used a Flying-type attack to take out Pepper with ease.

This would be her last chance to beat Yomi.

She could see it in Yomi's eyes. The look she got when she was giving her opponent one last chance to defeat her, before she piledrived them into the ground. It was there.

Hinata's eyes narrowed in frustration, and she watched Katniss flap in the air while Pepper oinked in anger. Her mind raced, thinking over everything. Her surroundings, Pepper's attacks, how Katniss moved, how everything was going to end soon.

And then...

"Pepper, jump on the bookcase! Launch an Ember, then use Flame Charge! And if that doesn't work, use an Ember, followed by a Flame Charge!"

Pepper launched himself onto the bookcase, bring him to Katniss's level, charging towards the bird while Hinata continued to string off orders.

He sent an Ember at the bird, with enough power to burn it severely, and as Katniss moved to dodge, Pepper encased himself in flames and launched himself at the Pidove. The bird scowled and tried to dodge, but wasn't quite fast enough. The hit connected, and then-

"AIR CUTTER!"

"No! EMBER, FULL STRENGTH!"

A squawk and a squeal sounded at the same time, and they both fell to the ground.

* * *

><p>Kisame strolled into the library, raising an eyebrow as a pillar of flame-breath spiraled into the air.<p>

This was a library.

Who the hell uses fire-type attacks in a _library_?

Grumbling to himself, Kisame started to walk in the direction of the blast.

Imagine his surprise at seeing that Hinata was the one being so reckless. She had a look of determination on her face, and her opponent looked quite smug. And probably for a good reason. Hinata's opponent was using a Pidove, and Hinata's Pignite looked exhausted but determined.

"Pepper, jump on the bookcase! Launch an Ember, then use Flame Charge! And if that doesn't work, use an Ember, followed by a Flame Charge!"

It was obviously a last-ditch attack, one final blow before the match ended. He ought to teach her not to give out the second half of the last-ditch attack before she even knew if the first half was going to work.

Pepper listened to her, even as she continued to shout commands, and Kisame inhaled. Would this work?

The Pidove dodged the first attack, causing the Pignite to act on the order of using Flame Charge. The hit connected, but Hinata's opponent smirked.

"AIR CUTTER!" The Pidove's wings flapped back, glowing with power, and Kisame realized that there was no way either of them would be able to dodge.

"No!" Hinata snarled, causing Kisame to recoil in shock. "EMBER, FULL STRENGTH!" Pepper wasn't fast enough though. The Pignite and the Pidove felt the effects of gravity as their hits connected, neither of them having the strength to stop their descent. They crumpled to the ground, and Kisame heard Hinata's sharp inhale and she brought her hands to her mouth.

She stood there, frozen, before rushing over to her Pokemon. Her opponent calmly walked over.

"It's a tie, Hinata-chan." Hinata looked horrified at the thought, whimpering as she shakenly took ahold of her Pokeball and recalled Pepper.

Kisame frowned. What was going on here? Normally Hinata wouldn't...well, he hadn't seen Hinata lose yet, so he couldn't guess how she'd react to a loss. Or, a draw. But this seemed to have a certain...importance.

"Wh-what does that mean, Aunt Yomi?" Kisame blinked in shock, his heart tugging at the sound of her voice. Definitely important, this. He focused on the two, his breath hitching as he tried take in the entire scene.

Kisame had dismissed the woman as unimportant. Just another gym trainer. But this woman was older than most gym trainers, and must have been at least in her late thirties to her early forties. She didn't look like a Hyuuga, but she had pale brown eyes, dark brown hair to her mid-back, fair skin, and was clad in a scientist's uniform. She looked like Hinata's cousin, except older and more feminine. Glasses were perched on her nose, and now she was reaching her hand out to touch Hinata, resting it on her shoulder.

"Hinata-chan." Hinata looked up at her Aunt, with large, worry-filled eyes. "I'll still tell Neji you need to meet up with him. But when and where will be up to you."

"Y-yes ma'am..." Hinata whispered, looking torn. She almost looked like she was going to cry, but he couldn't fathom wh- Oh, right. Her cousin had gotten her the Cottonee.

Aunt...This would be his mother. The battle must have been to decide what Hinata would do.

Kisame sighed, placing his hand on his forehead. _Geez, makes me glad I'm done with that stuff_.

"Sir, do you need something?" Kisame blinked, and was surprised to see Yomi standing. And glaring at him. Well, that was something he didn't experience very often. Hinata sniffled, and Kisame fought not to look at her.

"Ah, sorry." Kisame said, grinning uneasily. "It's hard to put together what's happening when you arrive late."

"Hmm, well maybe you should be eaves-dropping on other people's moments. That would clear the awkwardness for you, hmm?" She advised, annoyance heavy in her voice. Hinata's gaze turned to Kisame, a few unshead tears in her eyes. Surprise was evident on her face.

"Uhm..." Hinata murmured, and Yomi turned back to Hinata with a warm smile.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan, I'll try to get him to go." Yomi practically cooed, and Kisame sweat-dropped mentally. Geez, she was almost like Zetsu. Except, y'know, female and not a giant cannibalistic plant.

"Actually...H-he's my f-friend." Hinata said shyly, pressing her fingers together. Surprise flitted over Yomi's face, and she slowly looked at Kisame. Really _looked_ at him. Uncomfortableness seeped into him as she scanned his body, but Kisame stared at her right back.

"Him? Who...How did you two meet?" She finally asked, as Hinata was picking herself up from the floor. Hinata wiped her eyes, gave a little sniffle, and started blushing for whatever reason. _Weird shy girl._ Kisame thought with amusement.

"Her friend Kiba was talking to me. Met through him." Kisame answered, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Hmm." Was all the noise Yomi made on the subject. "I'll be telling your father, Hinata-chan."

_Well shit._ Kisame mentally groaned. Her father knew what Kisame was doing. But Hinata didn't. And it was preferable to him that it _stayed_ that way. Who knows what would happen if Yomi contacted Hiashi. Kisame tried to not fixate Hinata's aunt with a glare, forcing a bored expression onto his face.

"Uhm, well, s-since Shino-kun and Kiba-kun wanted to a-adventure together, I asked h-him to travel with me until I was s-strong enough, Aunt Yomi." Hinata murmured, pressing her fingers together. "K-kiba-kun and Shino-kun have a l-lot of admiration for Kisame-san."

Yomi's lips pursed, and she didn't say anything as her eyes flickered between Kisame and Hinata.

The silence in the library became highly noticeable to Kisame. It felt like it lasted decades, waiting for Yomi to speak again. Hinata had stopped looking sad, and eventually zoned out to take in their surroundings.

"I won't tell him. But I will be notifying Neji." Yomi finally spoke. Kisame and Hinata's eyes drew to her, and Yomi smiled warmly. "In any case, it was nice to see you again, Hinata-chan."

"I-it was nice to s-see you too, Aunt Yomi." Hinata chirped back, smiling fondly at her aunt. Kisame smirked, resisting the urge to shake his head at how close they seemed.

"Go to the Pokemon Center and rest up for tomorrow, Lenora will be waiting."

"Yes ma'am." Hinata chirped, walking over to Kisame. Kisame pulled himself up from his slouched leaning position against the nearest bookcase, and stretched.

"Oh, and telling Neji he should be expecting a little brother or sister soon."

"Yes Aunt Yo-...What?" Hinata hesitated as she reached Kisame, and turned around to see Yomi rubbing her belly.

"I'll be informing your uncle tonight. Now, get going." She said, smirking mischievously, and Kisame snorted in amusement. Hinata's reaction was priceless.

"O-okay." Hinata turned around, her face fuming as she looked up to Kisame. "Let's g-get pizza, Kisame-san?" She asked, pressing her fingers together. Kisame nodded, grinning toothily.

They started to walk towards the entrance to the library when Yomi called to them again.

"Oh, and Hinata-chan, don't use fire in a library! It's rude to the priceless artifacts!"

Kisame's guffawing could be heard throughout the entire library.

* * *

><p><em>Wow that took a while to finish. I had to toss some of the stuff I'd written, because what I had written for Anko and Genma was so out of character I was disappointed in myself. So I hope I didn't mess them up too badly. And writing in Yomi was fun, because I only had dialogue for her. And that was pre-battle stuff. The after-battle lines were just fun. C:<em>

_Anywho, sorry for the long wait, I really really **really** hope the next chapter doesn't take so long to get out._

_Any comments, questions, or concerns? Put 'em in the review box!_


	7. Case Study of Kisamekun!

**Sharks in Sunny Places**

_I couldn't figure out how I wanted the fight scene in this to go. -sigh- Sorry for yet another long wait. There's a reference in here, if you can catch it. It's about as obvious as the reference I had last chapter. :v_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon or Naruto. Sadface.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven:<strong> Case Study

* * *

><p>The machine flickered to life, and Yomi quickly pressed a familiar set of numbers. Her gaze swiveled over to the entrance, before returning to the images of Pidoves carrying mail.<p>

A click, and then a face. The image became focused as the camera adjusted to the lighting.

"Ah, Yomi-san. I'll go fetch Hizashi." Hiashi looked surprised to see her, before his stony impassiveness found its way to his face.

"No." Yomi interrupted, and Hiashi raised a brow. "Did you hire a bodyguard for Hinata-chan?"

Hiashi looked mildly disgruntled at her bluntness. Normally, Yomi was all for pleasantries. She only skipped them if it was important. "Yes. What of it?"

"Hinata-chan stopped by today." Yomi informed, her expression all-business and lacking the usual warmth she held when speaking of her niece. Hiashi, on the other hand, let slip a small look of approval. "A man came to retrieve her. What does her bodyguard look like?"

"A man? Well." Hiashi remembered the man who was to replace her original bodyguard quite well. "Blue-gray skin, about 190cm tall, very fish-like. Does that fit the description of the man who retrieved her?"

"Yes." Yomi looked slightly relieved. "And now I'm glad I lied when I said I wouldn't contact you. Do you know how angry she'll be if she learns he's a bodyguard?"

Hiashi kept his face neutral. "Yes. It's for her own good. I did the same with Neji and I'll do the same with Hanabi."

Yomi sighed loudly. "Well, at least it kept tabs on Neji. But his was always out of sight. What's the difference between his and Hinata's?" Hiashi grimaced.

"About a month ago, I received word that there was an organization interested in the Hyuuga. Malicious intent was a possibility. You noticed that we upped security when you last visited?"

Yomi knew it was a rhetoric question." Yes. Of course."

"I gave Hoshigaki-sama the choice of meeting with her, to make his job easier and more natural if Hinata was attacked. She would have little need to be suspicious if he approached her occasionally."

"So, unlike with Neji, there's actually a possibility of her being attacked repeatedly?" Yomi asked, concern evident.

"It's a high probability. And I'd prefer to confine her to the compound, but that is impossible." Yomi had to chuckle. Hinata and the Elders would never stand for that.

"Hiashi-kun, you really ought to drop that facade. Everyone knows you're a big softie when it comes to Hinata-chan." Hiashi frowned, saying nothing. "One more question, and then you can fetch Hizashi."

"Yes?"

"Why Hoshigaki-san?" Yomi asked, her face hardening.

Hiashi sighed. "Hoshigaki-sama...Is not the original bodyguard I had in mind."

"Hmm?" Yomi's eyes lit up in surprise, but kept the rest of her face pointedly neutral.

"I had intended the informer to be the bodyguard. However, he informed me that he was under close watch and was unable to assist, but he would send a replacement. Hoshigaki-sama is that replacement."

Yomi pursued her lips, but nodded. "Very well. Be a dear and get Hizashi for me, will you? Oh, and bring Sunny-chan and Hanabi-chan back with you, please."

Hiashi kept his surprise at her request well hidden. "Why?"

"I have a little announcement~!" Yomi cooed, and Hiashi froze at her unnerving smile. The times when she smiled like that…were right before an upheaval, like a birth.Unease crept into him as Hiashi went off to fetch his family.

* * *

><p>They sat together in companionable silence, she sipping her tea while he was taking a swig of his coffee every few minutes. Her gaze drifted out the window, glancing at the colorful buildings covered in a small layer of snow. Winter had truly settled in. It was cold, though not as bad as the northern cities would be, and the pretty falling snow and hanging icicles served as a grateful reminder that winter wasn't all that bad. Hinata tugged at her scarf regardless.<p>

Winter...full of whites, dull blues, steely grays, and the brown of trees whose leaves had fallen...

Her pale eyes slide over to her companion, who was too absorbed in his newspaper to notice her gaze. _Kisame..._His blue-gray skin was strange, almost out of place when surrounded by a background of falling red, orange, and brown leaves. But if you put him along the gray, cloudy skies, full of ice and falling snow...He blended in with the wintry backdrop almost perfectly.

Briefly she entertained the idea that it might've been that abnormality that made him seemed like such a monster when she'd first encountered him. And now that he looked more at home, he seemed more normal.

That was a silly idea.

She wasn't quite sure when she started to think of him as less of a monster, and more of an average person. More of a person she could be friends with. She...Hinata _had_ called him a friend, hadn't she? She couldn't quite remember...

Maybe it was possible that all of her...(sticking up for him, was that what it was?)...made him seem more like...a friend? That he had so many people against him, he might need the help? Certainly, Kisame wasn't defenseless, and he could handle his own problems. Hinata remembered how he'd been able to remove himself away from Kitai, and saving her from those two men (Kakuzu? Zabuza? That felt so long ago...) in the Dream Yard. But there was something...Hinata just couldn't place it...How he'd look when he had to leave the room, or the Center, or when he entered a shop full of people, or when someone just couldn't stop _staring_.

Kisame acted like he didn't care how they looked at him, carried his presence through the building with an air of cockiness and a lack of fear, an impassive look on his face. But the way he walked changed, he talked softer to her and more brashly to others, and he'd always plaster a grin on his face when he was nervous. Hinata wasn't even sure Kisame noticed how he changed, and Hinata was surprised she'd even noticed the changes.

_Maybe that Hyuuga observation is finally kicking in._ She thought idly as she took a slow sip of tea. As she swallowed the warm liquid, she turned her gaze to the clouds. They were barely visible, as the snow was come down thicker now and more furiously. Hinata noticed they would probably be releasing the captive water molecules for at least another hour or two before they stopped.

"D-do you think I sh-should challenge the gym t-today?" Hinata asked quietly, wondering if it would be safe to venture outside in this weather.

"Mm, you know your Pokemon better than I do, Hinata-chan." Kisame replied, before taking a swig of coffee. "Bleh, need a warm up..." He noted, looking at his coffee in such a way that it seemed he was blaming the coffee for becoming cold before he finished drinking it. Kisame set the paper down neatly, and started to get up.

"Oh, I'll g-get you more. I need m-more tea." Hinata offered, and an unreadable looked passed over Kisame's face.

"Oh, uh, 'kay." Hinata grabbed their mugs and went over to the self-service coffee and tea machines, returning a few short minutes later. Kisame couldn't help but watch her as she walked, her hair swaying behind her with every step. "Thanks." Kisame mumbled, taking his cup from her.

Hinata flashed Kisame a small smile, before taking a sip of tea. "Wh-what do you i-intend to do after Nacrene City?" She asked, curiosity slipping into her voice.

"Dunno." Kisame said, shrugging. Hinata raised a fine brow at him.

"S-so you're just traveling without a p-plan?" Hinata asked, an amused look on her face. Kisame noted that she looked almost smug.

"Well, I...don't really know what I want to do." Kisame stared at his coffee, thinking.

"Hmm?" Hinata questioned, not really following. "Th-then why don't y-you think of what you want to d-do?" Surely he must have some reason for staying in Unova.

Kisame gave an amused snort, a wry smile slipping on his face as he took a sip of coffee. "Well, there's this cute little newbie trainer straight from Nuvema Town I could follow." He teased, trying to throw her off-balance.

"W-what?" Hinata squeaked, her face turning a bright red. Kisame smirked as Hinata brought her hand to her mouth in shock.

"I said-"

"I heard you!" She squeaked again, slightly muffled this time. Kisame sniggered into his coffee as he noticed even her ears were turning bright red.

"Well, what about you? What do you plan to do?" Kisame asked as he set his coffee down, before putting his elbows on the table so he could rest his chins on his hands. All with a teeth-showing smirk on his face. Hinata _knew_ he was trying to change the subject away from himself, but she didn't know why. And...why was she traveling?

"I..." Hinata started, before pausing. She leaned back against the booth, her eyes trailing up to the ceiling. "I d-don't really k-know." Kisame raised a brown, his expression turning serious. "E-everyone in my family h-has always been a t-trainer, even before we left K-kanto for Unova." She murmured, almost distantly as she stared at the ceiling.

"Following their tradition?" Kisame fished, sounding interested. Hinata shook her head, biting her lip. And then nodded.

"S-sort of. Aside f-from my closest family, the Hyuuga cl-clan is unhappy with h-how I act." A small, sad smile found its way to her face. "If I d-didn't become a t-trainer, they most likely would have gotten my father to d-disown me."

"...Are you serious?" Kisame asked, his expression becoming carefully blank. _I wonder what he thinks of my family._ Hinata wondered idly. _I never really asked anyone their opinion on it._

"Yes. 'A strong heir should l-lead the Hyuugas,' they always s-said." Hinata's smile filled with mirth. "And a st-strong Hyuuga couldn't st-stutter or be shy." _But they could be silent and strong, like Neji-ni. Or stubborn, explosive, and reckless like Hanabi-chan. But they didn't like _me. _Annoying, stupid Hyuuga council. No, bad Hinata, they only want what's best for the clan._ She calmed herself with that reasoning, knowing that thinking bad thoughts would only make her unhappy.

"So...what's the other reason?" Kisame asked, noting that her eyes flickered with frustration and anger before noticeably forcing herself to calm down. He filed away the first reason for Itachi to research at a later time. If Kisame didn't research it first. Looks like the Hyuuga had a few interesting skeletons in their closet.

"W-well, obviously I want to pr-prove myself." Hinata murmured. "Be 'st-strong', whatever 'strong' is. And I w-want to travel...t-travel to fantastic, magical places. I w-want to grow, learn how the world works, to become able to understand the gr-greatest mysteries." Her voice had a hint of wonder to it, and Kisame wondered if she was hunting fairy tales. "To explore great ruins, to venture through caves, to see great beauty, and all that man has achieved...and to..."

And then Hinata closed her eyes, a warm curl of a smile slipping onto her face. Kisame stared, wondering how she managed to change the mood from tired to warm, excited, and full of life. How whatever she was thinking of, it caused her to look serene. How she looked completely at home, like she belonged, with no fear for what the world held.

When Hinata finally opened her eyes, she noticed Kisame staring at her. "...I-is there something on m-my face?"

"No." Kisame flushed and picked up his coffee, trying to hide his embarrassment behind it. "Sorry, you just seemed like you had more to say."

"O-oh. I do..." Hinata said, blushing ever-so-slightly as she took a sip of tea. Kisame quirked an eyebrow.

"Then what's the rest?"

"I'm n-not telling." Hinata said, a hint of defiance entering her voice as her cheeks became rosier.

Kisame blinked, briefly wondering why she didn't want to tell him."...Why?"

"You'll l-laugh." Hinata said, pursing her lips, refusing to look him in the face.

"Why do you think I'd laugh?"

"...Be-because it's a d-dumb dream!"

Kisame snorted, bringing his cup to his lips again. "There's no such thing as a stupid dream, Hinata."

She finally met his gaze, looking at Kisame with wide, distrusting eyes and pursed lips. "...You pr-promise you won't l-laugh?"

"Cross m'heart and hope to die." Kisame stared her in the eye as he said that, and Hinata shuddered briefly at his seriousness. Hinata didn't realize how much emotion he cold have in his eyes until that moment. It...wasn't like killing intent, when he said that, but it was similar. The emotions he conveyed...seriousness, resolve, an underlying sense of trust. Hinata felt almost compelled to tell him now, but...She flushed.

"I..." Hinata swallowed, building her courage before she tried again. "I w-want to m-meet my h-husband..." She whispered, barely audible. Hinata felt her face burn, and she prayed Kisame had heard her so she wouldn't have to repeat herself, simultaneously praying he hadn't heard her so her secret was safe.

Kisame stared at her, and didn't say a word. Hinata felt unease build, her ears burning with embarrassment. Kisame didn't say anything, just stared, and so Hinata stared back uncomfortably. Eventually her finger began to press together of their own accord, distributing her nervous energy while she waited for him to response.

"You're...married?" Kisame finally croaked, disbelief in his voice.

"Wh-what?" Hinata squeaked. "N-no! I-I just want t-to meet...Eep!" Hinata looked like she was going to faint from embarrassment, and a look of panic passed over Kisame's face as her breathing became erratic.

"Uh...calming breaths, Hinata-chan!" Kisame ordered, and Hinata nodded and tried to regulate her breathing. Her face was an interesting shade, due to her blushing so hard. "S-so...You're not married?"

"Y-yes..." Hinata said between breathes. "I...M-my parents m-met...during their j-journey...despite being fr-from the same h-hometown...a-and they fell in l-love." Kisame nodded, storing that fact in his list of Hinata Facts. "And Aunt Yomi a-and my uncle..."

"You know..." Kisame interrupted, trying to keep the smirk off his face. Hinata looked at him questioningly, closing her mouth as she waited for him to continue. "I could be your husband." Smirk. "And we could travel the world together."

A beat passed.

...

"WHAT?" Hinata shrieked, her face reheating. "Y-you said you wouldn't l-laugh!"

"But not that I wouldn't tease." Kisame said, grinning toothily.

"You j-jerk!" Hinata fumed, before pouting into her tea. Kisame snickered, and reached over and messed up her hair. Hinata merely glared at him, causing his grin to widen. Minutes passed, neither of them talking as they returned to normality.

"Mm, I was serious though." Kisame said as he finished off his coffee. Hinata blushed as she looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. "I don't really have any plans. So. I might as well just follow you."

"F-for how long?" Hinata asked, unease settling in. On one hand, she liked the idea of not having to travel alone. On the other hand, he was..well, Kisame. Kisame, who just smirked at her. _Oh, dear..._

"'Til my little Hinata-chan finds herself a husband." Hinata pursed her lips, before pointedly staring out the window.

* * *

><p>Eventually, the snow stopped falling. Snowplows and Pokemon alike swept the streets of Nacrene City. Piles of snow dotted the city, shoved in alleyways and street corners and amongst the thick forest surrounding the city.<p>

Hinata timidly stepped outside, exhaling a large puff of air that became visible. She shivered, and briefly wondered why she hadn't waited until February to start her journey, when it would be warmer. She turned her head to the sound of crunching snow, and saw Kisame emerging from the Center behind her.

"H-how can you stand n-not wearing a c-coat in th-this cold?" Hinata murmured, her lips pursed and her eyes envious. Hinata didn't dislike winter, but the rapid changes in temperature when the Unovan seasons changed always threw her off. Hinata had been surprised and envious when she heard that other regions had much longer seasons, that gradually changes temperature instead of rapidly.

Kisame merely smirked in response, before putting his coat on. "It feels good, the cold. 'Course, Mossdeep was frequently cold." Kisame rumbled, before shoving his hands into his pockets. "Goin' out to train, keep out of trouble."

Hinata murmured a quiet "see you later," watching as Kisame crunched through the snow. Eventually, he vanished into the hazy gray that currently covered the city. Hinata let out a large puff of breath, recalling her earlier thoughts of Kisame's belonging in the murky colored setting. Hinata lingered, adjusting to the color and enjoying the ability to be alone with her thoughts. Life moved on around her, while Hinata stood still, her gloved fingers clasped together behind her back and her eyes stared off into the distance.

_Everything was muted. The journey was still pleasing. However...Everywhere...Everywhere...Her eyes darted to the shadows. They were more noticeable now than before. The colors seemed dimmed. The grays surrounded her. The browns on the hibernating trees stood out, as if commanding her to look at their bear limbs. The ponds and skies held their murky blue, and seemed frozen. Death. Cold, frigid, unavoidable._

Hinata was not looking forward to this winter. Hinata forced herself to move, unclasping her hands so they fell to her sides. One foot in front of the other, no clear purpose but a destination in mind.

The Hyuuga clan of Nuvema Town were fans of fate and destiny. They didn't believe that you were stuck on a road and that nothing you did would change your fate, no, that thinking had vanished from the clan millennium ago. However, they did believe that certain events had purpose, and could decide your fate. Working towards that purpose, creating for yourself and your clan the best possible outcome...A Hyuuga member was required to do that, and if a member was failing then fate would give them a kick in the ass to _make_ them work for their fate.

Hinata Hyuuga always thought there was appeal to the "hard work brought easy prosperity" design, but she hadn't thought she'd receive a kick in the ass so soon. Poofeh was a gift. Someone that Hinata could have trained into being a strong fighter if she had tried harder. Hinata hadn't put forth enough effort, and as a result, fate not-so-kindly told her to buck up and get serious about becoming a trainer.

Hinata missed Poofeh. Hinata wanted to crawl back into bed, and spend the entire day there lamenting the loss. But Hinata wouldn't do that. Fate would tell her to buck up again, and in possibly in an even more gruesome manner. This wasn't something she could run away from. Everyone died. Almost every trainer had to deal with an ally, a companion, a _friend_ dying. It was the way of the world, and while Hinata hated the idea, she also knew she'd have to live with it or die of grief.

Hinata pledged that she would never let another of her Pokemon die. She would battle with valiance and courage, and bring pride to her Pokemon and family, _especially_ Poofeh. Her fists clenched, her teeth set, and a firm aura of determination surrounded her, causing nearby passerbyers to watch in muted surprise as they took notice of the young girl firmly marching towards the gym confidently, her hair flowing behind her like a regal cape.

However, Hinata also caught the eye of a predator.

* * *

><p>Kisame was enjoying the frigid turn that the weather took. It had been a long time since he was allowed outside during his favorite season. Kisame couldn't enjoy the cold as much as he once had, his body much more resistant to cold, but being able to feel the chilly winds and the lack of sun was as pleasing as always.<p>

Kisame turned at a forked street, heading down the paved street to the forest. Kisame was edgy. Zetsu was normally a great tracker, and being able to find someone in a forest made his job exceptionally easy. And yet, Zetsu still had not sent word to Kisame about locating Zabuza. Kisame was reasonably unnerved.

Add to the fact that Zabuza had seen Hinata and knew Kisame had duties to protect her, there was a likely chance that Zabuza would try to attack Hinata. Kisame frowned, and hurried his pace. Kisame didn't like the path he was on. Leaving Hinata alone was a bad idea, he knew, but Kisame couldn't afford to baby-sit her all day. Zabuza might try to get to her, but if Kisame got to Zabuza first, there wasn't a problem.

_A water clone would easily solve your unease._ A part of his mind whispered to him, causing Kisame's brows to furrow deeper. Kisame was still hesitant about his abilities. Less so than some Akatsuki, more so than the rest of the Akatsuki. Itachi had few qualms about using basic techniques to acquire information. Kakuzu and Zetsu used them on an almost daily basis.

Kisame frowned as he noticed something familiar leaning against a signpost. The fiery, short-cut red hair was unmistakeable. Speeding up and preparing for a confrontation, Kisame approached him.

"Sasori-san. Waiting for someone?" Kisame asked, eyes narrowed as he studied the smaller man. Sasori's thinly ringed eyes gave him a slight intimidation factor, as did all of their body modifications, but it was offset by his sleepy look. His glowingly pale skin had less of a tinge than Kisame's did, being a more successful experiment than he was (but they only had one chance for his success, after all), and the purple hue was only noticeable if you knew about it. It would have been ironic, the puppet master spliced with the puppet Pokemon, if it hadn't been intentional.

"Yes. You." Sasori replied simply, standing up fully and uncrossing his arms. It became noticeable, then, the short-sleeved shirt revealing his unnatural, puppet-like arms. One would think his outfit consisting of Capri pants, a short sleeved shirt, and sandals was strange, in this weather, until they realized all of the limbs were prosthetic and couldn't feel the chill. Kisame couldn't help the smirk that slid onto his face, remembering those who had pestered Sasori about his clothing just yesterday.

"Oh? And why me, Sasori-san? Deidara might get jealous if he hears about this." Kisame joked, even though he knew it wouldn't rile the young boy.

"Deidara is keeping watch over the library." Sasori said bluntly. "You won't need to burden yourself with a clone." Kisame kept the surprise off his face, wondering what Sasori's game was. "You and I will search for Zabuza." Ahh, there it was. Sasori didn't mince words, thankfully, so his point was always available after other important information was supplied.

"Leader's orders?" Kisame asked, a brow raised. If it was, he was surprised by Leader. Leader normally wouldn't be bothered with such a small occurrence if Zetsu was on the case.

"No. Helping Itachi." Sasori said simply, before walking towards the forest. Kisame blinked, surprised at that answer. Nonetheless, he followed Sasori. Kisame's thoughts turned dark, wondering what was going on. Secrets were popping up, which was not something he was fond of. The Akatsuki was generally straight-forward, but something seemed to be lurking on the surface.

Kisame would find out what it was.

* * *

><p>From afar, hidden in the trees, were two men. They were vastly different, the smaller one wearing something similar to a butler's outfit with neatly styled hair and a friendly if cold look about him, while the other, larger, one had a messy mop of black hair, face covered by bandages and glaringly ferocious eyes, clad in nothing but a pair of wrinkled baggy cow-print pants and sandals.<p>

They held each others' gaze only momentarily as Kisame followed Sasori into the forest, before daring to speak.

"Where will she be?" The larger one practically growled.

"The museum. She lacks a badge from there." The smaller one replied calmly, not intimidated in the least by his companion.

"Good. Vengeance and freedom, this is a good job."

The smaller man snorted, a jaded look coming onto his face. "As if it would be that easy. They're probably lying to you about your freedom." He informed, crossing his arms.

The taller man sneered behind his bandages, and took off without a word. The smaller man merely shook his head, sighing.

"What a foolish little pawn we both are..."

* * *

><p>Hinata finally found herself in front of the museum, and bit her lip as she gazed up at its intimidating form.<p>

She must have stood there for quite a while, as suddenly her gaze was broken by someone placing their hand on her shoulder. Turning, Hinata was surprised to see a Yamanaka.

"Ah, hey there, un." The man awkwardly greeted, a grin plastered on his face. He was obviously a Yamanaka, with blond hair brushed over one blue eye and and the rest pulled up in a ponytail. It was strange, though, because she didn't remember seeing him in Nuvema Town before.

"Uhm, h-hello." Hinata replied, smiling softly.

"You getting ready to challenge the gym?" He asked, seemingly encouraged by his attempts to talk to her.

"Yes, I'm g-going to battle the l-leader." Hinata replied, nodding.

"Oh, really? Good luck then, un." He chirped. "It's no wonder you looked nervous." He grinned, almost tauntingly. Hinata flushed, wondering how she'd been that noticeable.

"It'll be my s-second gym battle, so..." Hinata trailed off, letting him figure out the rest.

"Yeah? Even more luck to you. I hear Lenora isn't an easy opponent, un." Hinata frowned at that, not necessarily needing to be told her opponent would be difficult. "By the way, un, name's Deidara."

"N-nice to meet you, Deidara-san." Hinata greeted, slightly startled by the fact that he hadn't offered a last name to call him by. Then again, Hinata supposed he already knew she knew he was a Yamanaka. "My name is Hyuuga Hinata."

"Hinata-chan, hmm? Pretty name." Deidara said, smirking as he said so. Hinata felt more heat rise to her cheeks. "Anywho, see you some other time, Hinata-chan. Good luck with you match, un!"

And then Deidara dashed up the stairs at a startling speed, giving her a swift wave as he entered the building.

Blinking slowly, Hinata realized she'd never heard the name Deidara back in Nuvema Town, either.

* * *

><p>Hinata stepped into the library, more than slightly nervous. Even if that man had motivated her enough to be confident, she was still worried about what could go wrong.<p>

It didn't help when she was reminded that Lenora's Pokemon were well-known for their strong teeth-inflicted attacks.

Hinata swallowed nervously, and slipped in-between the bookshelves with ease, each step more confident than the last.

She shied away when she spotted Genma waving at her, a smirk on his face. Quickly walking past into another sea of bookshelves, she tried to block the disturbing memories of the double battle she'd had with him and Anko. They were creepy...

Eventually Hinata reached the staircase that led downwards to Lenora's study room. A wave of apprehension rolled over her, but she shook it off, steeling herself with determination. Hinata would battle valiantly, and over-come her fear and bring pride to Poofeh's memory! Eyes narrowing, she confidently strode down the stairs, her fists balled and slightly shaking as she willed herself confidence.

Glancing around her new surroundings, Hinata noticed a door up ahead. It was marked simply "Lenora's Study." Encouraged by her quick find, Hinata approached the door and gave three swift knocks before waiting for a reply.

"Come in!" Came a reply, not a few seconds later. Opening the door, Hinata was surprised by her surroundings. Computer screens were everywhere in the large room, with data splashed on every single one of them. Several high-tech pieces of equipment were spread across the back wall, making quiet noises every so often. Along one wall stood Lenora, who was hovering over a desk with an unplaceable expression on her face.

Lenora turned to Hinata, and a large hearty grin spread over her face. Hinata immediately recalled the face of Chouji Akimichi, whose expression oftentimes matched Lenora's current one. Lenora was a family friend of the Akimichi's, so she wasn't unfamiliar to Hinata by any means. She had pretty dark green hair tucked in a ponytail, and a large bronze body similar in heftiness to an Akimichi's, and wore clothes one would expect to see more on a housewife than a famous scientist and gym leader. An undercurrent of strength and warmth filled the air around her, soothing those in her presence.

"Ah, Hinata-chan!" Lenora greeted, to which Hinata smiled shyly back at. "I should've known you'd be coming here today, after your aunt mentioned battling you yesterday."

"She did?" Hinata murmured, slightly surprised, before raising her voice and confidently saying, "I hope you don't m-mind me challenging you to a battle, Lenora-sama."

Lenora's grin grew, and she walked over to the center of the room. Her hands on her hips and her legs spread, she had an almost aggressive pose that was offset by her cheery grin. "Not one bit, dear. I've been meaning to get in contact with your mother again, and telling her about our battle will be much fun."

Hinata merely smiled, turned and closed the door behind her, and took her place standing across from Lenora. "I'll make sure to give you a battle to write home about, then." Hinata announced, a hint of confidence in her voice. Hinata knew she could do this. Nothing bad would happen from battling Lenora-sama, of all people. It would be a tough battle, but an exciting one.

"You've gotten confident! I like that!" Lenora noticed, fire sparking in her eyes. "This'll be a two on two battle. You fine with that, sugar?"

"Perfectly, Lenora-sama." They both readied their Pokeballs, and the battle started quickly.

"Go, Simon!"

"Go, Mimi!"

The light broke, and Hinata was surprised to see that Lenora's Pokemon was the same as hers. It would be a match of Herdier versus Herdier. Lenora's Herdier, Simon, was a bit more bulky than Mimi and seemed to be kind of wary. Mimi, on the other hand, was slimmer and more eager.

Hinata smiled. Even Pokemon had their differences, she noted. This would be a battle of speed versus strength, and Mimi was good at that.

"Simon, start it off with a Tackle!" Lenora called, and the dog started to charge towards Mimi.

"Dodge, and hit him with a Bite!" Hinata ordered, as Mimi jumped out of the way of Simon's barreling attack. Quickly, Mimi charged at Simon, teeth barred, and bit the Herdier's flank.

Simon snarled and bucked, causing Mimi to let go, lest she be hit. They squared off, each looking for a weakness, before Mimi rushed with a sudden charge. The tackle gave Simon enough proximity to resort to a bite of his own as Mimi bashed into him, catching his teeth on her leg.

Mimi yelped, scratching Simon along the muzzled to get away. Mimi dashed a few feet away, putting distance between the two, panting slightly. Across from her, Simon growled weakly.

Hinata's eyes narrowed as she though of an unsuspecting attack she could use against Lenora, but all of the attacks Mimi knew were pretty standard. Cursing her haste, she decided she needed a plan that would be more useful than relying on attacks.

Mimi was faster than Simon, if only by a little amount. She could probably zip in and out with a quick Tackle, but that would take awhile with Simon's increased defense.

"Simon, use Take Down!" Lenora called out, causing Hinata's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Dodge it, Mimi!" She ordered, knowing that if Mimi was hit by that, she would take double the damage of a normal tackle. Frowning as Mimi just barely managed to dodge the rushed attack, Hinata wondered what Lenora intended to do. "Give him a swift Tackle to stun him, followed by a Bite!"

Mimi turned and slammed into the opposing Herdier, causing Simon to lash out in an attempt to bite Mimi. His teeth grazed her shoulder, and Mimi swiftly headbutted him, before pushing him onto his back and hovering her maw over Simon's neck.

"Simon – Defeated." Buzzed a nearby computer, in a robotic but still feminine voice.

Lenora's grin remained firmly in place as she recalled Simon. "It seems you have a good grasp of your Pokemon's strengths and tactics, Hinata-chan. That's good."

Hinata smiled weakly in response, her mind replaying the scene of Mimi using Simon's weight against him and her sharp teeth pointed over his neck. That could've quickly gone wrong, a little voice in the back of her head whispered harshly at her. She grasped Mimi's Pokeball and recalled her, a silent word of gratitude whispered as Hinata tried to regrasp her confidence.

Lenora, if she noticed Hinata's change in demeanor, did not mention it. Instead, she reached for her next Pokemon's ball. "Are you ready for the next round, Hinata-chan?"

"Yes, I am." Hinata replied instantly, despite her feelings otherwise. Hinata remembered her stance, trying to will it into bringing her courage. Hinata wouldn't run away. Hinata wouldn't give up. Hinata wouldn't let Poofeh's death be in vain. Hinata would fight valiantly, with courage and strategy, and become something that Poofeh would be proud of. Eyes narrowed in determination, Hinata grasped Pepper's Pokeball.

"Good! Go, Lewis!" Lenora bellowed, summoning her next Pokemon.

"Pepper, get ready!" Hinata likewise called out. Two flashes of transparent red light later, and Pepper was facing what looked like a Watchog. Hinata decided to start things off quickly, to have time to recall information about Watchog. "Pepper, attack with a Flame Charge!"

The Pignite squealed in confirmation, encasing himself in flames before dashing across the room. An order to dodge from Lenora wasn't carried out in time, as Pepper hit Lewis with the flaming tackle swiftly. Lewis slid back a few feet as Pepper quickly backed off.

"Lewis, Retaliate!" Lenora ordered, her grin turning almost smug. The Watchog kicked up dust as he charged at Pepper, slamming into Pepper harshly with a resounding smacking sound filling the room. Hinata gasped, before ordering her next attack.

"Pepper, use Arm Thrust!" Lewis hadn't gotten out of range just yet, and was surprised to be hit with the flurry of open-palmed thrusts. Four hits, before Hinata ordered an Ember. Opening his mouth, Pepper prepared to launch a volley of small fireballs, but was interrupted by Lewis's tackle.

Pepper was thrown off guard, allowing Lewis to sink his teeth into the Pignite's arm with a loud _crunch_. Pepper squealed in anger, throwing his arm back and flinging Lewis off.

"Hypnosis!" Lenora ordered as Lewis righted himself from his landing.

"Flame Charge!" Hinata called out, praying that Pepper would get there before the attack finished. However, Lewis dodged out of the way just as Pepper was close to impact, and sent out several ring-shaped energy waves in Pepper's direction. Hinata grimaced, knowing that it was over. There was no way Pepper could dodge at this close range. The retaliation move had damaged Pepper, and he was now close to fainting. Once the Hypnosis hit, there was a very slim chance that Pepper would wake up before fainting.

Pepper inhaled, surprising Hinata, and let out a huge breath of fire. The fire knocked the energy waves away, practically disintegrating them as they touched the flames. Seeing her chance, Hinata took it. "Finish it off with an Arm Thrust, Pepper!" She cried, a hint of panicked desperation to her voice.

Pepper lunged through the fire towards Lewis, palms raised to attack. Lewis made an attempt to dodge, but was pulled back by Pepper, who gave Lewis three fire-covered palm-thrusts. The last one sent Lewis skidding across the floor, after which he collapsed, unconscious.

"Lewis – Defeated." The feminine voice of the computer buzzed, ringing out Pepper's victory.

Pepper stood triumphant, relinquishing his hold on the flames surrounding him as he grinned at Hinata. Hinata ran over, and picked up Pepper in a twirling hug as she laughed in their victory. Lenora stood by, recalling Lewis, with a small smile on her face as she watched Hinata and Pepper's interaction.

Walking over to Hinata, Lenora pulled out a small case from her apron's large pockets. Hinata seemed to notice this, and stopped twirling. A curious expression slipped onto her face, but she didn't lose her smile. Lenora smiled heartily, opening the case.

"Hinata Hyuuga, I hereby present you with the Basic Badge, as well as TM67." Lenora said, and Hinata felt a rush of excitement. She placed Pepper on the ground, freeing her hands to take the badge and the small disc from Lenora. "Your battling style...Suits you. However, you need more faith in your Pokemon's tactics. I saw your face fall when the battle seemed hopeless, and yet your Pokemon proved otherwise. No matter how grim the situation, don't lose faith in your Pokemon, Hinata-chan."

Hinata blushed at the critique, nodding in acceptance. "I couldn't think of a t-tactic to get out of the situation, so I assumed we'd l-lose..."

Lenora patted her shoulder comfortingly. "When you can't think of a tactic, it can be better to let your Pokemon try their hand instead. Your trust in them will let them trust in you." Lenora grinned suddenly, as if remembering something. "Ah, you did seem very unconfident after the first round. It was pleasing to see you motivate yourself to continue. With that type of attitude, you'll go far."

"Th-thank you, Lenora-sama." Hinata replied, beaming behind her blush.

"The pleasure is mine, Hinata-chan. I can tell your mother what a wondrous battle I had with you, today. Now, have your Pokemon rest up at the Pokemon Center. They deserve it for their great battle."

Nodding, Hinata recalled Pepper, who had been flexing his muscles arrogantly. With a smile, she waved to Lenora, and departed the room.

Hinata felt as if she was walking on sunshine. While the battle had been scary at first, she was still pleased with how it had gone. And she'd won! That was the best thing of all. Hinata couldn't wait to tell Kisame, and she'd have something to tell Neji-nii when she saw him next.

Hinata was thinking how Kisame would react to her news as she stepped outside the Nacrene Museum. The air was still frigid, and snow piles were dotted as far as the eye could see. It was beginning to snow again, but lightly. Hinata smiled at this, not even noticing the intimidating form behind her.

When she was taken, the only witnesses were the swirling snow and a tiny clay owl.

* * *

><p><em>Geeeez this chapter took a while to write. Sorry again about that. D; I had the initial bit of Lenora's introduction written on paper, but I really didn't like it, so I had to figure out another way to write it as well as have Hinata battle Lenora in this chapter.<em>

_Originally, Lenora was suppose to beat Hinata. But I didn't like that, as it would look bad for Hinata. :v Bad report to Hinata's family, bad for her morale as a trainer._

_Hinata has weird dreams, but they're kinda cute. :v Her personality reminds me of the beginning PMD2 partner's personality, so I wanted to give her a similar dream to that._

_Leave any and all comments, questions, or concerns in the review box! :D_


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